thisavrou_log | burger flippiiiiin

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burger flippiiiiin

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.

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"That's easy to answer. The principle of who had more right to it." Nyx snorted at his own cynicism as he moved over to the large coffee machine. He'd had a cup already this morning which meant it was already brewed and ready to pour. He went ahead and poured two mugs full, and brought them out to the bar.

He sat down on the stool next to Ardyn, glancing over at him as he blew lightly on the hot coffee to cool it down some before he sipped.

"People can always find excuses to be mean to each other. That's not so interesting to me. What I'd ask is: what could happen for the boys to start getting along? Will it come to them naturally? Do they need someone to tell them, guide them? Can they bond over a shared loss of the toy?" These kinds of philosophical conversations were ones he usually had in his head. Having someone else to talk about them with wasn't so bad. He sipped his coffee again.

Ardyn sweetened his coffee with a dose of sugar and a teaspoon of cream. He slowly stirred a spoon in the lightening darkness and found himself pleased with both the lightened coffee and Nyx’s words. “Hm.” He withdrew his spoon and set it aside on his napkin. “I think I would rather bond in mourning then rekindle a war..” Ardyn looked then to Nyx. “I think that is possible.” If they were joined by any of the divine, the old kings, the royal family he would anticipate a new war on this new world. It didn’t have to be as such—

After all, their kingdom was not here.

It was simply this and what they made of it. Nyx in this diner, Ardyn and his wondering state of loss and life anew that he did not have a reason, for once, in his long span of life. He simply came here to exist. For what?

For a few moments Nyx said nothing. He was thinking of home, of his last days in Insomnia, of the Princess, and the King. He thought then of Libertus, and Crowe, and his sister. With a sigh he reached across Ardyn and took the sugar jar and poured some into his coffee, then took the used spoon and stirred with it before taking another sip.

"Maybe that's how our truce will last." Nyx furrowed his brows as he stared down into his bug. He gave a shake of his head. "I wasn't tired of fighting... I would have fought until I was old and my joints sounded like rust, if it meant Galahd could be free."

He took a sip of his coffee and looked over to Ardyn. "I wish I had been around to see it, to see how it all ended, to know all that fighting wasn't in vain. I don't mean it to sound like I'm mourning for myself. I'm not. I'm thinking of all the people who died along the way to get to that peace." Nyx furrowed his brows again. "What do you mourn?"

Of all the things to share, Nyx wanted Ardyn to reach inside of himself and express what he mourned. What could he say? He mourned his spotlight, the admiration and love, acceptance and welcoming of him? He mourned the respect, his image, his glory? It all tasted foul in his mouth as he mulled it over in his mind. Best of all, he would say he mourned his humanity and all had to come to pass to restore his soul so he may finally pass on and rest.

Without the destruction, without the death, Eos would have been damned for as long as he bled his darkness across the land. “None of it was in vain.. those lives forfeit for tomorrow’s dawn can be seen again through clear nights as stars that shine down below.”

However, "mourn for yourself Nyx, you were the brightest."

This again! Nyx didn't know how to take it there sitting coffee with Ardyn any more than he had staring out at the meteor shower aboard a floating asteroid of all places. Nyx believed in his own courage, in his skills, and in his moral compass. He could be as cocky as any other soldier out on the battlefield. That didn't mean he actually thought he was better than anyone else, or that he could take genuine compliments well.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I still am," he joked with obvious sarcasm. Joking around was much easier than trying to accept whatever it was Ardyn was offering. "I am now the brightest Strawberry Rhubarb Pie maker in all of Kauto!" He motioned towards the kitchen, then offered Ardyn a lop-sided smile. Hopefully that would be enough to shut down any more of that line of talk.

Along with diversion. "You want me to make you something? We don't serve breakfast but I can whip something up. I really am pretty good at cooking now."

Nyx was uncomfortable. Ardyn could tell by the response, the joke was a diversion from the content of the conversation. Then a complete detaching from it all together as Nyx offered to make Ardyn something. He was silent for a moment, perhaps part of him wanted Nyx to sit in that discomfort for a while longer. Perhaps part of Ardyn wanted to continue this content despite Nyx’s avoidance.

“I imagine it is not impossible for the toy to return before the two boys.. if the King of Lucis comes.. would you serve him still?” Ah, but now he broached the conversation that he knew he would always want to have with Nyx. The topic of loyalty.

His attempt at levity got spun around back into his face as surely as if Ardyn had taken the raw pie and shoved it on him. Nyx narrowed his eyes in some confusion at the question, before he started to actually think about it. After a few moments he huffed and turned on the stool he occupied, and stared out the front windows of the diner. It was getting lighter now, but he still had hours before the diner was set to open.

Nyx scratched his jaw and finally shook his head. "Regis? No. Any debt I had to him is gone, and he's no king here. This isn't his kingdom."

There was something else too, something he would not at all admit to Ardyn. Ardyn's magic was stronger than Regis' had been. Maybe Regis had been as powerful or even more powerful than Ardyn at some point but that hadn't been for years now. His life force was drained by keeping that shield over Insomnia. Ardyn's magic had no such drain, only strength. Nyx could still remember the first time he attempted to warp after being given Ardyn's magic to wield.

He had about broken his leg he'd warped so far and so fast, farther and faster than ever before. This power was addictive, and he knew that. Nyx felt self-conscious suddenly but he was careful not to look at the other man. "Why do you ask?"

Ardyn would not deny he expected a different answer, he expected Nyx to own any order from Regis to cut off Ardyn’s head if the King of Lucis was here to command it. Yet, this was not so. Instead Nyx found dissidence to King Regis and any authority he might come in with. Would it be hard to convince anyone who saw a king sacrifice the many to save his only son? Or better evidence to sway the verdict against a king who would allow his son to be sacrificed. Regis was guilty of both.

Ardyn was not much different that Noctis in that regard. He was made a martyr himself after all.

“Your life is your own, here, Nyx..” He looked from the other and took a moment to sip at his coffee. “I am pleased to watch you live it.”

"The same's true for you," Nyx pointed out. Finally he stole a glance at the other man, before he turned back around to the counter and drank from his mug. There was a lot he could say, that he knew he shouldn't. They had already talked about so much. Nyx found it easy to talk to Ardyn and he didn't know why. It was true his life was his own here, but sometimes he felt guilty.

It was on the tip of his tongue to share this but he didn't. Instead he pushed the conversation back onto the man at his side. "What do you get up to these days? Is there a diner on Chioni that has another Eos native making pies?"

Nyx licked his lips as he looked over at Ardyn with appraisal. He slowly grinned. "I hope they make you wear a hair net."

Ardyn turned to give Nyx a kind smile. It was true, his life was his own and he was no longer plagued with the darkness of daemons. He was free here from his pulsating revenge that took him to places he’s never dared go before. In this world he remembered what it was like to need to feed, to drink, to have some part in social activities. Such a strange yet wondrous thing.

“I have taken to helping the scientists collect data and samples on Chioni.. the extreme weather and environment is no bother to myself.. and I am surrounded by such.. specimens I have never known before.”

Nyx had to wonder what it would take to get a big genuine smile from Ardyn. For that matter, what it would take to get him to laugh and be more down to earth with him. It was like he was always just out of reach, aloof, like an actor on a stage. Maybe there wasn't a real Ardyn under there at all.

"A little more loftier than serving up coffee and pie, then. Hey, everyone's got to eat though!" Nyx had no shame at all for the work he did at the diner. It was nice, making an honest living, and not having to face down giant Cerberus dogs or one-hundred story tall demons. (At least, that's what he told himself.)

"So you're a scientist, alright. What do you do for fun then? Outside of work, and outside dropping in on the very bright Nyx Ulric?" He grinned again, more like a smirk as he teased the other man.

A scientist..

Ardyn wondered on that for a moment. Perhaps he was a bit scientific inclined. After all, he did introduce the use of daemon fueled soldiers. Arguably inhumane, yet, arguably just as humane as sending any poor soul into war. The once-chancellor looked then to Nyx and gave him a small nod with: “Knowledge.. I enjoy going to the shopping plaza and reading, watching, and gathering as much information as I can.” He paused before he looked down to his mug. “I would not confess to being a scientist here, I am their lackey if anything. But it serves me to serve them in my pursuit of information.”

He softly huffed before he took a moment to sip at his coffee.

“I don’t think I’m any more the wiser, however.” He looked to Nyx. “Though in that I am more aware each day of how similar our lives are, down to the routine of our humanity.. to our physical composition.”

"For a job you gather information and for leisure you gather information," he summarized, looking thoughtful and a bit confused. Nyx made a show of exaggerating his thoughtful expression, accompanied with a slow drink of coffee and a nod to himself, before he took a sidelong look to Ardyn.

"Either you love what you do to the point of being weird, or you don't even know how to have fun. Here's what I think." The younger man set down his mug and turned on the stool to face the Chancellor, and he leaned in slightly with a playful smile on his lips.

"You need to go out more, experience more, you know, broaden your horizons." This last piece of advice was accompanied by his making a wide gesture with one hand.

Nyx was so painfully young. Ardyn stared at the youth for a moment as he considered just how dreadfully young the other man was and truly how the gap between his age and Nyx’s was beyond reason. He may not be very successful in connecting with today’s youth. His activities were fun, for him. There was a certain element of power in knowledge. Currently his passion was to find out if Eos’ divine gods did not bleed life into humans everywhere. Though it seemed evident enough, he was looking for concrete evidence to further disconnect from his world, from his fate.

To have control of his destiny here and severe the tie that pulsated still from Eos to him here. With the umbilical cord cut he can truly live life on his own.

“Mm, perhaps. So — what is it that you do then, for fun?”

That backfired. Nyx didn't broaden his horizons or do amazingly fun things either. Ardyn didn't need to know that though. His smile never faded. "I go out, meet people, drink, take on crazy jobs, see the sights." Hopefully it sounded more impressive than it actually was.

"But at the moment, I am learning how to cook, and cook well. I think of it as a new hobby." Which gave him an idea...

Nyx gave Ardyn a calculating look. "Why don't you put on an apron and help me out? I still have some prep work to do. It'd be good for you. What do you say?" His eyes strayed to that gravity defying hair and he was already plotting how to contain it to be acceptable in a kitchen setting.

Ardyn’s brow rose and for a moment he waited a breath expecting for Nyx to laugh it off as a joke. However, the youth seemed serious enough and Ardyn found himself with an idea of complying. It was a strange and welcoming sensation to be hungry, to be sated by delicious tastes that calmed the irritable ache within him. Though he had consumed many enriching items he did not have the appetite for them for as long as he could remember. Now it was different. Now he could very much recognize his body’s needs.

Not just for hunger but for sleep, exercise, release, and desire.

Years upon years he fed each of his sensational needs with promises of revenge, he satiated the squall within his soul by delving deeper and deeper into that black abyss that became his only source of desire, of bliss, of ecstasy. He would be a fool to not consider how much he’d come to depend on his solitude in that darkness and how large the void was now that it was gone.

What to fill it with, he’d yet come to know, or perhaps who to fill it with was still unknown.

“Alright. I will lend you my novice hand.”

"Alright then!" Nyx was very content with that answer, and it showed with his lop-sided grin. "First thing's first. Stay right there, I'll be right back." With a flourish, the young man spun on the stool and hopped off, jogging into the back and out of sight. Moments later he came back with a short length of string which he waggled in order to show it off to Ardyn.

"That hair, man. That hair. Hold still. How would I ever explain purple hair in the food to my boss?" Nyx set the string on the counter and moved behind Ardyn. His fingers ran through the ridiculously fluffy, thick, purple hair several times in an attempt to comb and contain it somewhat. It kept slipping like silk right back into place and Nyx realized a simple ponytail wasn't going to work.

Good thing he knew how to braid. Nyx presumptuously reached around and tilted Ardyn's chin up, then he set about braiding the man's locks. The plait was neat and tidy and extended to the back crown of Ardyn's head. After that he used the remaining lengths to make a plaited tail, and the string was fetched for securing it in place. "All done."

It’s been a long time since someone’s touched him gently like this. More than a passing body who put cautionary hands up as if to warn him they’re moving past him in a crowded room. More than a gentle pat on the shoulder to obtain his attention. More than shoulders, hands, or backs brushing past him in the street. Nyx touched him for more than a brief moment to file his hair back into a suitable state for this coming task.

He was tense with his surprise, his shock, his unfamiliarity for the contact with another. Soon he melted into the touch and his eyes closed with a soft grin up toward the ceiling while he focused on the gentle way in which Nyx gathered his hair and tucked it away into a braid. Once Nyx finished Ardyn straightened and turned to face the other man with a soft, “thank you.. I would have been devastated to know such of me ruined someone’s appetite.” He then moved his hands to his jacket and began to unfasten the buttons. He soon had the clothing folded and set aside on the bench that held his hat and now was loosening his tie and collar. Afterward he unfastened the buttons to the shirt’s sleeve at his wrists and began to fold the material up to his elbows. He then turned over his hands and looked at them.

“I think it has been far too long since I’ve last prepared food for someone else..”

"Figures. You're royal blood. You've probably had someone wipe your arse since the day you were born, right?" He teased, laughing afterward as he walked backwards towards the entry to the kitchen. Nyx winked at him before moving on through.

He still had his own apron on but there were others stowed away in a closet, which Nyx availed himself of and pulled out a fresh and clean one for his guest chef. As soon as Ardyn followed him through, he would get it tossed right at him. "Put that on. We're making the dough for the hamburger buns next. We go through dozens a day, they're all freshly made. I hope you have some muscles hidden under there: you're going to knead them. Ha- get it, knead?" Nyx smirked at his own stupid joke as he began pulling out ingredients that they would be using.

How delightful! Nyx was quite humorous. Ardyn gave the other a respectful light chuckle at his jokes, even the pun was something quite clever and should be recognized with an obligatory chuckle, at best, which Ardyn provided. He moved to the sink and washed his hands. While he dried them he spoke to Nyx’s concern. “I have adequate strength, I’m sure of it.”

The comedy of their situation was not lost on Ardyn— Eos’ hero next to the villain preparing food for not themselves but for others. Such an afterlife this turned out to be!

Nyx took a minute to get them both a glass of water (much better liquid to work with than coffee), washed his hands too, then showed Ardyn the recipe. "My boss comes up with all the recipes himself. He's a perfectionist. So I stick to them down to a grain of salt, close as I can."

Everything was stirred together using an electric mixer and Nyx commented on the use of just the right amount of sugar, before he slapped the huge ball of dough onto the counter. Using a large knife, he cut the blob into four equal sections which were each large in their own right.

"This, is all about rhythm. You better like music, or we can't be friends, Chancellor." Nyx pointed at him with a very serious expression before walking over to turn the music up. Immediately his head began bobbing to the beat and he spun around and did a robot dance move with his arms and shuffled his feet closer to Ardyn before a grin split his mouth again. Nyx laughed and moved back to the counter where he took up one of the balls of dough and began kneading it with strong squeezes.

Edited 2017-05-21 17:26 (UTC)

The music was clever and the beat catchy, Ardyn could appreciate the appeal to the song. However, Nyx proved to be far more interesting than just the tune alone. How his body moved earlier that morning to how his body moved now. He was gifted with excellent rhythm and demonstrated a well orchestrated step in tune with those beats.

Ardyn joined Nyx’s side and mimicked what he saw the other do with the preparation. He then followed the directions he was given by Nyx as they moved onto the next preparation.

“I am a fan of music..” He confessed long after Nyx’s comment. “I find the art of music to be fundamentally moving for all species..” He explained further: “The song of a bird to attract their mate, the movement of crowds to the beat of a drum, the poetic expression that many can relate to.. Yes, we can be friends.. Nyx, I enjoy music.”

Nyx kneaded and flip the dough around in time to the beat of the music. Frequently, he could be caught moving his body slightly to it too, bobbing his head or lip syncing to it. They went on to forming the much smaller balls of dough onto the racks which would go into the oven one at a time after the dough had a chance to sit for a few minutes.

He was drinking his water when Ardyn spoke up, and he smiled. "Good. That's a good start." Again he pointed at the other man. "But only a start. There will be other tests and trials you may have to go through..."

Nyx tried not to grin and ended up looking away as he did so. Yes, as if there was a huge line of people waiting to be graced with his friendship. He ended up chuckling to himself as he wrapped the extra uncooked rolls and stowed them away for baking later on. Next he started wiping down the counter. "We'll make tortilla dough next, for the burritos and empanadas. Pick a song and let's see that rhythm."

Ardyn found himself under a spell, surely that was the case because when Nyx spoke of him only at the start of being the youth’s friend Ardyn was taken back. Surprised and unexpected as Nyx toyed with him. It was simple, light, fun and Ardyn welcomed the tease. He was becoming for more interested in Nyx with this new interaction. He felt it was completely void of disdain, hate, loathing and distrust. Ardyn felt a warm sensation in his chest and an excitement rush through his veins as he allowed himself to feel enjoyment as well between Nyx and himself.

“Ah, I seemed to have misunderstood the criteria to obtain such a worthy friendship. Music is but the first trial I must endure then..?” He had himself a warm grin and he patted his hands gently on his gut, soft clouds of flour burst from his clapping before his hands then moved from himself and to the radio. “Tortilla … I think I have in mind the inspiring beat to our step to accomplish this.” He then picked his own song.

Nyx was already mixing together some of the ingredients while Ardyn found his song. As soon as it began, he stilled what he was doing and slowly his head raised. When the lyrics started, he looked sharply at Ardyn. His eyes narrowed and he looked off to the side as he considered. Pretty soon his head began bobbing, with a slight tilt each time. His shoulders soon joined in.

He closed his eyes and his whole body shifted and let the rhythm course through him. Nyx slowly grinned as he opened his eyes and gave Ardyn an approving nod. "Damn. Now this is alright." It was actually a really great song. For some reason he was surprised, having expected something much more... academic or snooty or something.

His arms raised and his hips shifted to one side as his feet shuffled again. He was getting very distracted though and tried to focus rather than get carried away. Nyx danced himself back to where he was and added in the final ingredients and began stirring. However, his feet were hardly still and he kept moving his body to the music. "Maybe you're alright after all, Chancellor."

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