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

[alterplex]

Fading seems to be a universal trait in individuals who've experienced the ins and outs of war, so Venom doesn't hurry Nyx along when he takes his moment to pause and think. If anything, the beat contextualizes what little he knows of the younger man so far: probably a frontline fighter with a good success-to-failure ratio. The kind of subordinate that commanders love to push as a way to boost their motivation.

No wonder Kaz employed him.

The dishes done and laid out to dry, Venom hangs his apron back along the wall and situates himself a few feet away from Nyx, where he can't be tempted to scavenge the half-finished dish (which already looks delicious, by the way, without all the fancy garnishes).

He hums under his breath in a vague sound of half-assent.

"There's no place for favoritism in military factions." Is what he says, and it's such a genuinely spoilsport statement if it weren't for the fact that Venom tips his gaze to the side, clearly directing his fond exasperation at the segment of the room where the wall meets the ceiling. The unspoken sentiment here is yeah, I get it.

It's still pretty funny to him that Nyx had the balls to say it aloud, though.

"But you're right about one thing. He's one of a kind." Irreplaceable, he indicates with a wave of the hand. He's sure Nyx knows what he means. "And he thinks highly of you, if he's leaving kitchen operations in your hands."

[nyxus]

One of a kind, Nyx thought to himself, repeating it several times internally as he scooped the mushrooms into a frying pan he had set out. He added a little bit of butter and garlic salt, just to very lightly sauté and season them before they would be skewered with the rest. A bland mushroom was a sad mushroom.

It said a lot, that someone would describe a fellow soldier as one of a kind. Too often the highest ranking officers saw their men as just the opposite. There were always new recruits to push onto the front lines after all. The sentiment had Nyx smiling distractedly to himself. The friendship was definitely two-sided then and that made him happy.

Which reminded him of a little conversation which he'd had with Kaz. Nyx glanced up at Ahab before concentrating on cutting the perfect sizes of green pepper and onions. Ahab was no mushroom and he definitely wasn't bland, but now some preparation had been done and it was time to hop into the frying pan, so to speak.

God, he needed a few days off and away from this diner.

"Did he mention the bar near here I want to take you two to? They have a karaoke night." Nyx tried his best to keep a straight face but it was impossible. He smirked and glanced up at Ahab again, looking amused at himself for even suggesting it, but also hopeful that the man would agree to go.

[alterplex]

Some part of Venom wants to ask Nyx if he's done already— listen, the meat looks good and all he has to do!! is grill it!!— but he remains well-behaved in his segment of the kitchen, leonine in the way he reclines back with his elbows resting on the counter. A mild-mannered predator who knows how to be temperate.

The composure breaks incrementally when Nyx levels that grin at him.

(Oh, the kid is smooth.)

"—Might have heard a thing or two." Venom's focus on Nyx is level, but with the slightest arc of a scarred brow. His shoulders brace, but they remain largely relaxed; no need to be on-edge when all the kid is talking about is a night out.

Even if it might be at Venom's expense. There's no way he's going to be singing Journey in front of Kaz and his 20-something coworker.

"You want to go."

He doesn't even bother framing this as a question, because he knows what the answer is going to be.

[nyxus]

"I don't just want to go, I wanna take you two with me." He'd already gone once by himself and while it was fun, it just wasn't the same. Part of the fun was having buddies to tease you about how awful you were, to watch each other make fools of themselves, to laugh, to relax with friends. He missed that.

"I already told Miller if he could get you to go the first round would be on me," he said with a tone that suggested it was impeccable logic and impossible to argue with, that if such an offer was made than obviously Ahab had to go.

It didn't look as if Ahab was at all inclined however and so he added some butter to the analogous frying pan. "You don't have to do any karaoke, you can sit back and laugh at me and Miller." And a little garlic salt: "It'd be a lot more fun if you could go."

As for the genuine cooking, Nyx had finally begun assembling the kebabs. Chunks of marinated steak were layered with the vegetables, and while Nyx was talking he had lit up the grill they used for the hamburgers normally. He carefully placed the kebabs (four in total, Ahab was a big dude after all) one by one on the grill and then gave his guest an expectant look.

[alterplex]

Downtime. The term still feels like a myth to Venom, even after the long months he's spent dawdling away from his own world and his own duties. Civilian life is a strange new development that needs getting used to, and phrases like 'karaoke night' still feel like a concept brandished from left field.

Still, as serious-minded as Venom is, it's not as if the idea of winding down is alien to him. He's aware that humans can't subsist purely on efficiency and highfalutin thinking, as much as he himself has been wiped clean and rewritten with a clear set of targets in mind.

At the end of the day, he still has to breathe, after all.

"...Relax. I'm not your CO." He finally says, after a silent inhale and a quick tip of his head to the side, wolfish. "I'm not gonna chew you out for making a suggestion."

Pulling rank's never really been his style, anyway.

"Set up a time and place, and I'll be there."

[nyxus]

Annnnnd skewered! Nyx had never been so proud of a mushroom before, because this one tough little mushroom. His stupid smile gave away just how happy and pleased with himself he was too. Really, he thought, he should make Kaz pay for the first round now! "Sweet. Alright. It'll be fun, I promise." Not something he could really genuinely promise, but it was clear that he intended for it to be fun and that he'd do his best to make sure that it was.

"The place I went to is small, it'll be good. Good drinks too. There's an arcade in the back even, if you're into games like that. I haven't played too many myself but it could be funny getting Miller riled up over some pinball."

Nyx's rambling had the desired effect: soon enough the steak kebabs were done. He grabbed a plate, laid down a few leaves of washed and dried Romaine for the most basic of garnish, then placed the kebabs on the plate using some tongs. After that, he cruelly made Ahab wait a minute longer while he melted some butter with parsley and lightly brushed this over the kebabs. Nothing went better with steak than melted butter, in his opinion.

Finally, at last, he offered the plate to Ahab. "There you go!"

[alterplex]

It's patently difficult to remain utterly unaffected by an exuberant young man who genuinely looks excited at the prospect of sharing time, which is why Venom scrubs at his jaw with one palm, equal parts puzzled and slightly endeared. What do you mean, morale boosts can happen without one party getting a black eye in the process?

He doesn't quite smile— it's almost like he wasn't built for it, like the scars on his face have prevented his features from moving where they need to— but he does narrow his single eye in something that passes as acquiescence, an expression that borders on soft as he reaches for the proffered plate and takes it off of Nyx's hands.

"Don't get too competitive. Never ends well."

Trust him, he knows. But that aside, now is as good a time as any to shut up and stuff his face, which he does without much in the way of hesitation. The first skewer is torn into with sharp canines and big bites, residual meat juice mopped up along the back of raised knuckles.

His hands and mouth full, Venom eventually speaks up: "This is some damn good stuff."

The fact that he continues eating without missing a beat corroborates his claim. (Nyx is a keeper.)

[nyxus]

Nyx got the stupidest grin at the compliment, one that didn't disappear anytime soon. While Ahab stood there eating, he was cleaning up the mess he had made and still that grin remained. It wasn't so much the cat-who-caught-the-canary grin, it was more like the puppy-told-he's-a-good-boy grin. Surely, if he were a puppy, his tail would be wagging so fast it would shake his whole body.

"Glad you like it!" Steak was always a sure bet to impress. "My mom tried to teach me to cook but I was never too keen on it," he decided to share. "I was too busy training, even as a kid." Nyx couldn't remember now if he'd told Ahab about joining the local Galahdian militia at so young an age, but he thought he might have. It didn't matter so much for the story though.

"It wasn't until I started working here that I really started appreciating it." Nyx walked the used dishes over to the sink which Ahab had been using a minute before. "My mom was an amazing cook; I regret now not learning more from her. I was lucky. Did your mom like to cook?"

[alterplex]

Quite the multitasker, this one. Earnest, too. A dangerous combination in the world of the military, where wearing your heart on your sleeve leads to too many investments; Venom's sure that he doesn't want to see a time when this kid's empathy starts to whittle away at his soul.

Venom remains softer around the edges than usual as he tears through his kebabs, listening with his body language even when the trajectory of his gaze settles down on his food. If his hands weren't full, maybe he would've ruffled Nyx's hair for being so forthright about his happiness— quick and paternal, a silent remember this feeling, it'll help you pull through.

Even though Nyx's question hits on something that rings hollow in his heart, it's not enough to dampen the mood. Venom is an adult; he knows that not all queries leveled at him will be possible to answer. That's no fault of the one posing them to him.

"Sounds like you could've lived another life in the kitchen." This is sincerely meant, even if he always sounds slightly neutral. "Would've been just as cutthroat as the battlefield."

Call the press......... Ahab made a shitty kitchen pun.............. but no, here's an answer to the question, even if it does come after that moment of verbal diversion.

"As for me—" A low hum. He knows how to tell the truth with certain redactions, just for the sake of his own sanity. "—Don't know. I can't remember having a mother."

There's no inflection there that suggests that he feels sorry for himself about his inability to recall. It's just a fact, melancholy but true. Life goes on.

[nyxus]

Wow, he thought. That had great potential to turn the conversation awkward. Nyx took a second to decide how best to respond. Giving sympathies didn't seem appropriate being as he didn't remember, so for all he knew there was an Ahab Mom out there somewhere still. It was weird he couldn't remember but he wasn't going to pry about that, not on his life. Maybe some day far off when he knew the man better.

His natural personality and defense mechanism was always to resort to jokes but that didn't seem right either. Nyx knew he was taking too long to respond and so he carefully worded something that was almost a joke, but hopefully complimentary more than anything.

"I bet she was an incredible cook. I mean: you're a huge dude. I bet she was one of those moms that made sure you ate all your vegetables." Nyx smiled over his shoulder at Ahab, hoping that he responded in a good way and not a way that would make it awkward or sad.

[alterplex]

The fact of the matter is that Venom's entire life history is a minefield, so he doesn't react to one of his tripwires being activated with much more than a vague quirk of his lips; it was bound to happen, and besides— he's made sure to disarm most of his traps so that they only twinge instead of blow him to pieces.

Venom lets the awkward silence come and go, and if he's at all bothered by the heaviness of his own confession, he doesn't let it show.

"Maybe." A shake of his last remaining kebab, to show Nyx that he literally destroyed this plate without much difficulty. "Here's to hoping she cooked half as well as you."

A gentle segue of the conversation, right back to Nyx. Patient and sincere, despite the rough edges.

[nyxus]

His bright smile said enough, that he was relieved he hadn't managed to make it awkward and that Ahab's praise was welcomed. Nyx did wonder however if he should have made more of them! The guy had come hungry, that was for sure. "Stop by any time and I'll make you whatever you want," he offered, just a little bit cocky. He didn't know that many recipes yet.

"You don't have to come round in the middle of the night either, you know." Nyx laughed at that, giving Ahab a humored look from over his shoulder, before turning his head to look down at the dishes he was working on.

Not looking up again he asked, "So, are you from Japan too?" he thought to ask. Kazuhira had said he was from a place called Japan and since they had known each other for so long it seemed a logical assumption. "Or, uh. I don't remember the place the Boss said he considered home. Costa-... something?"

[alterplex]

God knows that the world is full enough of moments that feel like lead weights. Venom isn't a talker, but he does understand the importance of a lightness of being, the human need to measure a moment for the fondness it contains instead of the bitterness.

(Out of the corner of his single eye, he fancies he spots a bright-blue morpho butterfly flit by in time to Nyx's laughing; wishful thinking.)

Scouring meat from between his teeth, Venom raises his brow.

"Costa Rica." He finishes for Nyx, jaw working in contemplation. "...Kaz said that, huh."

The old soldier tips his head, expertly obscuring his expression where the overhead cabinets cast long shadows over the counters. For a second his expression is impossible to gauge, but he's right back to being measured once he swings back up into view.

"You could say that I'm from there too, yeah." Definitely not a lie. "I'd only recommend going if you're a fan of hot weather."

[nyxus]

Nyx wasn't quite observant enough, coupled with not knowing Ahab well at all yet, to catch anything amiss in the other's behavior. He was happy. The dishes felt solid and uncomplicated in his hands being a simple and mindless task which nonetheless brought a small pleasure. Nyx wondered if that was why Ahab had done the dishes earlier.

"Yeah, I think that's what he said. I remember him mentioning the heat too." He gave a soft smirk over his shoulder again.

"I'm from a place called Galahd. It can be wild country, but it's beautiful." Wild and beautiful went so well together, Nyx thought with some romanticism which he would never share if he could help it. "I'd only recommend going if you're a fan of twenty foot tall tusked terror birds," he quipped back with another grin.