Summary:Dinner time brings a group together. Things get awkward. Log Info:Storyteller: {$storyteller} |
Related LogsTheme Song{$themesong} |
     |
Spice was helpful. Hot pots? Even better. It had been a few days since Betty began her shifting between one room to another. Quiet, to herself, she wasn't a horrible roomie, and when it wasn't her turn to skulk about under the weight of life, the universe, everything, she was hard at work doing, well, work. She was taking time off from the Bugle, such time being fully understood by one J.Jonah. It was something the old dog wished he could take for himself, but he'd never admit it. Nor would Betty admit to the absolute mess she was in.
As a show of thanks, and out of the need to wander the city as she often did without fear, she offers to pay for the pair's dinner. With Astryd and Fenris in step, the tired-eyed dirty-blonde strides closer to the Little Sheep. "Really," she promises with a weak smile. "Get whatever you'd like. Now that I'm not, y'know, footing the bill of scum I got a bit more pocket money."
Fenris chuckles. Betty will find that walking out with him in New York is much easier than, er, most other things. For one thing, people tend to just flow around him, trying to avoid getting to close. This is because, well, he just FEELS wrong. Dangerous. Bad. It's got a lot of ill effects, but it does make getting down the street quite easy.
"You sure a few nights a week is all you need? It's not like that guest room is being used by anyone else after all."
"I can repaint the room, if you like." Astryd adds as she walks with Fenris and Betty. The tall, stern, blonde looks dangerous and exudes her own aura - an aura that pales in comparisons to her tall, dark haired, companions. It's funny how the people on the street just seems to flow about the trio.
"And you can decorate how you like. Truth be told, a guest is a novelty and you are good company, little sister."
"More."
The prep chef eyes the customer, and tips the container into her bowl. Kori narrows her eyes at him.
"More," she repeats.
He shakes his head, relents. The dispenser shakes once again.
"More!" The manager comes over. "Young lady," he wheezes, and bobs his head in a double bow. "You will not like it if it is too spicy—" he stammers.
"More!" Kori demands, and bangs her fists on the table. The manager looks at the chef, exhales in resignation, and nods. "Fine, give her… the homemade sauce."
The manager turns his head away out of politeness, though the rest of the waitstaff is snickering up their sleeves at the demanding redhead sitting at the table. All efforts expended to keep her to 'One Pepper' worth of spices as indicated on their menu, and Kori's blown right past it and claimed the 'Four Pepper' rating was unworthy of her time.
"Your funeral," the chef mutters, and digs a glass phial from his pocket. When it's uncapped, a few nearby patrons immediately cough and their eyes water. The chef stares at Kori and adds an eyedropper of the spice concentrate to her bowl. Is that a little acid smoke wafting up from the counter where he spilled a drop?
Kori reaches for her fork and takes a huge bite of the noodles. Chew. Chew. Chew. The waitstaff's smiles falter. She reaches for the chef, takes the bottle from his hands, and adds *another* eyedropper.
She takes another bite. Then, nods. "That is… the spicey," she concludes, finally.
The staff looks disappointed that Kori's not having a screaming reaction on the ground, and the redheaded woman digs into her meal with a beatific expression. The little focus disperses and the chatter of customers resumes.
It's quite the look she's rocking, in a backless dress of seafoam green with a lot of daring gaps in the fabric, and matching green sandals with a modest three-inch heel. It looks like the sort of thing someone would wear to a prom or formal affair.
"What do you think, my little bumgorf? Is it good?" she asks the rabbit sitting in her lap, and feeds it a bit of carrot.
The rabbit coughs, violently, and spits the carrot on the floor. It hisses at Kori and latches onto her index finger. It suckles fussily for a few seconds, then curls up and falls asleep. "Is he not the adorable?" Kori squeals at Eve, and holds her rabbit out for the umpteenth time so the goth girl across from her can inspect it. They couldn't make a more mismatched pair, the two of them.
The 'bumgorf' opens one red eye and bares inch-long fangs (fangs) at Eve, hisses, and goes back to sleep instead of engaging with her.
During this whole scenario where Kori is, well…. impressing upon everyone her tolerance for spice, Eve is staring at her. Truth be told, she's staring at her unblinkingly the whole damn time, eyes rrather wide. And then there's… there's a rabbit. "Very adorable," agrees the gothling. She's fancied up today, to be sure, no doubt on account of having to keep up with Kori. A long, black flowing skirt of ruffles, corset, and her hair up in a multitude of very bright green braids that serve to go well with her entirely blue-to-the-roots hair. "Adorable," she repeats.
"I'll… have something substantially less spicy." As pale as she is, spice is liable to kill her. She's a white girl's white girl. "I can see why you like this place," she says after a lengthy pause. Again.
"I'm sure. I'm staying at another place, too. I, well, I have to move around. I refuse to cage myself in." She admits to both, giving another smile and opening the door for them. "No, you don't have to do that, Ash. Really, it's fine. I'm not moving in, but I'm thankful, really." She chuckles and then follows the pair in. Hand up, she offers those on duty a knowing wave and greeting before slipping into a booth of her own. Her brows only quirk toward the sea-foam princess, her bunny, and pale companion. Fingers up, she waves lightly and then digs into her pocket, pulling out a tie and starting to put her hair back and out of the way.
"Once I get this story done and dusted, it'll all be better." Warm hazel gaze up, she looks between Astryd and Fenris. "Then I can help you again, too. I'm already looking into some leads."
"I would certainly appreciate that if you would." Fenris says. They're getting close enough now that Starfire and Eve will hear him. They will DEFINITELY feel him. He feels like a threat. Some part of him hammers that lizard brain that says 'PREDATOR'. The part that kept humans alive during the last ice age. Not that Fenris was around at the time…
"Ugh. What IS that smell? Smells like culinary tear gas." The Old Wolf has a sensitive sniffer and he glances at Astryd and Betty and then toward Starfire and Eve.
"Astryid is right though. You are quite good company. What is the story you're working on?"
"Then rearrange room as you would like and if there is anything you need us to stock in the kitchen or the bathroom, please let me know." Astryd turns towards that smell, a smile quirking on her face. "If you think that smells like tear gas, my heart, you should be glad you didn't journey with me in Mongolian in the 11th Century. Now those women knew how to cook." The blonde smirks.
That is rather hot. Or it smells that way.
She recognises the redhead though and raises a hand in a gesture of greeting. "That, I believe is Kori Turner. Or rather… my friends call me Kori Turner … it seems she likes the finer things in life. "
"Is there anything I can do to help you, Betty?" Threaten someone, perhaps?
"Mm! It is very much the goodness of food," Kori tells Eve. Her fire-red hair twists and writhes behind her with a certain internal energy that seems absent any wind or motion, untamed and free-flowing. "They are also very reasonably priced. I am still struggling with your systems of the maths," she explains. "But I was able to reduce the cost of food to a 'dollars per kilogram' approach, because I am trying to learn to manage a *budget*." She looks quite proud of that effort.
The wave gets her attention and Kori sits up to return it with a smile. Then she recognizes Astryd. "Oh! I know her! That is a friend I made the day of yester!" Kori tells Eve.
"HELLO FRIENDS!" Kori calls over the crowd, at Astryd and her two companions. The restaurant— again— goes silent for a moment at her uncharacteristic interruption, but only for a moment. It's New York after all, and she seems relatively harmless. Particularly compared to the shadow the Old Wolf casts when he strides into the room.
"I'm sure it is, Kori, I'm sure it is," says Eve.
And then her attention is called by the red-head over to the others present. Astryd, FEnris and, well, Betty. One of them she recognizes. "Oh," she says, "Hey, we've met before." She blinks her eyes once. That night in the park, after all, when that guy got treed and all the other crazy happened. It's New York, after all.
She leans in towards Kori, perhaps a little protectively.
It is completely unnecessary. Utterly unnecessary. She does it anyway.
"It's just spice, Fen. Just take it easy, ok? You don't have to get anything that'll kill your senses, promise." A look to both, she parts her lips to give information, perhaps make a request. Kori's voice, however, shatters the chance like a brick through a window. Even so, it causes the mortal to smile. They knew one another, so that was good enough for her nerves.
Without much pause, she reaches for her menu and starts browsing.
Fenris laughs. "Kill my senses? If the city can't do that with the cars and the construction and the smokers and the Hudson river, a bit of spice isn't likely to do it. I just wonder that anyone would put anything that smells like that in their mouth."
The Old Wolf Sputs eve. He'd seen her before but not interacted much. Still, he nods.
"My, you're enthusiastic, isn't she Astryd? Pleased to meet you."
Fenris hangs back a little, but only a little. This is mostly because he's hungry and won't be fit for proper conversation until he eats.
"Because it's delicious, my heart." Astryd answers seeing the Old Wolf hang back. "I'll get you food soon you'll be fine." she murmurs.
"Hello Kori. Betty … ah, you've met. I can see this." The stern blonde looks at Eve carefully. "Who's your friend, Kori?" beat "Don't mind Fenris, he's a bit of a … wolf … when he's hungry."
"This is my friend Eve!" Kori proclaims, and gestures at the dapper-dressed goth. "I am sure you would recognize her on the YouTubes, because she is *very* famous," Kori says, sincerely. "The channel 'Morning Glory'. She is helping my gardening and teaching me a lot. We learned about manure yesterday!"
A diner nearby sighs, eyes his ground beef, and elects to pack it up and leave.
"It looks like you are here with friends of yours. Hello, friends of Astryd!" Kori says. Fenris ambles off, so Betty's favored with Kori's ebulliant welcome.
She looks back at Astryd. "Oh! And earlier today was my graduation party from the highest school. I am officially An Adult," she says, proudly. "And then a woman in her underwear showed up at the party and tried to rob Mr. Wayne and threatened several of my friends, and I was *going* to decapitate her but my friend Spider-Man talked me out of it, and then I saw *this* adorable little bumgorf," she says, hoisting the meat-eating rabbit and snuggling him with her cheek. The rabbits bites at Kori's fingers and promptly squeaks in pain, and elects to suckle on her fingertip instead. Kori doesn't seem to notice.
"…and then I didn't end up executing her. I think my friend Helena tricked me!" Kori says, and gives Eve a look of wide-eyed astonishment. "With the bumgorf!"
"… I am not famous and it's actually 'Morning Glory147GothRules'. I don't even run the channel," says Eve, somewhat wryly, after Kori's done introducing her.
"…you met the Spider-Man," she says after a long moment. "Isn't he kinda weird and creepy? I mean, that's what I hear in the news all the time." She props her chin up. on her hands as she leans towards Kori again, glancing over her shoulder over at the others before she gives a helpeless shrug, trying to conceal some degree of amusemnet. The rabbit is eyed some more. it is a strange rabbit. That much, she can sense easily.
Betty Brant keeps to her menu, listening to everything being said. When her name is said she lifts her head up. Another smile, a wave, she keeps out of the insane story. Cause it's New…well, y'know. It's not until there's talk of Spider-Man that Betty speaks again. "No, he's not weird or creepy. He's a very solid example of heroism." A glance toward Fen and then Astryd, Betty places her order to their server and sips from a glass of water. What's coming next? Milk-tea, of course.
"It's nice to meet you, Kori. Eve. As Astryd said, my name's Betty."
"Ah you don't know her, little sister?" Astryd turns a smile on Betty. "This is Kori Anderson. As you can tell she's very exuberant. And I'm afraid I'm not familiar with Eves Youtubes channel." Yes, the blonde says it just like that, even if she can't help the smirk that forms.
"You shouldn't believe most of what is written or spoken in the media." She lowers her voice to add "No offence, Betty." beat "You are always better to follow the stories to the source and be certain of the information yourself. The number of stories that I've heard about those close to me that aren't even remotely true. Just because someones Aunt spoke to someones Mother who had spoken to her Father who heard it from the Gardener." Can Kori follow that?
The rabbit, the squeak, the behaviour has the blondes pale brows rising. "Bumgorf. That's not a term I've heard. But I've heard something similar to that in Svartalheim. That's not a language I recognise, Kori." Which certainly tells Astryd, that the redhead isn't from the ninerealms.
"Betty, what was it you were working on?"
"I am so pleased to meet you, friend Betty!" the Tamaranean says. She beckons Astryd and Betty to scoot over so everyone's at one table. "Spider-Man is very heroic and brave," Kori agrees, and wags a chin at Eve in support of Betty's words. "He also has the buttocks of the tightness, *and* he is the funny," she adds, with a giggle.
"But I do not know what the gardened said to the father who said it to the mother and then to Spider-Man's aunt. But I will ask her when I see her," Kori promises Astryd. She offers the little rabbit to the Asgardian. "This is a bumgorf! You can tell, because he is adorable and precious. He is not a *real* bumgorf, as I am not a proper k'norfka," she clarifies. "It is the language of my homeland of Malta, you see," Kori says, immediately forgetting that Astryd's already *been* to Malta where— most assuredly— they do NOT speak anything like Tamaranean.
'The Youtubes', mouths Eve. She does not say it aloud. She doesn't need t4o. She's just fairly sure this means AStryd is nearly as strange as Kori is. "Well, yeah. You shouldn't believe everything you hear," she continues, "I don't. But, you know, I asked for a reason. Good to hear from people with, uh, personal experience or something on the subject, I guess." Her head tilts at Betty for a moment before she glances back to Kori. Staring at her. "Kori," she whispers, "I am… pretty sure that's not the proper language of Malta."
A very quiet whisper, a nudge to the other woman under the table.
"Ahahaha," she manages top say loudly. "That Kori, what a KIDDER," she attempts to cover, lamely.
Betty Brant looks back Eve's way. There's no recognition honestly, having me the pair only now. There's a shuffling of bodies and soon enough, the table of two and three join together. With a cup of milk tea set before her, Brant smiles and starts drinking from it without pause or hesitation.
"Working on?" She asks and then looks to the women now sitting together (and one Fenris). "Nothing I-I don't think I should talk about it. Maybe a different topic?" She asks, requests, of Astryd.
Astryds grey eyes rest on Betty for a moment and nods slowly. "Do you remember your own graduation, Betty?" She asks instead. She'll avoid the topic of Spiderman and whatever it is that Betty's writing. "I confess, Graduation for me was surviving the Valkyiors initiation test. I was awarded my spear and shield there."
For a moment there's a flash of remorse that crosses her face but she glances at the tall dark haired man with them and it disappears.
"So you are an adult now, Kori and had seventeen jobs in seven months. Have you given more consideration to becoming a model. I suspect you'll be very successful."
The blonde shakes her head to the rabbit, gesturing for Kori to keep on her side of the table. That poor little thing will expire of fright if gets any closer to Fenris.
Eve gets a look now. "It is indeed not the native language of Malta. K'norfa. Let me guess … a Princess? Ruling Class? or … perhaps Priestess."
That done, the taller blonde turns her eyes to the menu. "Fenris and I will have the Meat Eater, if that's within your budget, Betty."
She knows what the woman has said but she can be considerate for mortals that she is fond of.
Kori /freezes/. Even her hair quits moving, and her large green eyes take on a luminous sheen. She doesn't have that sheer, primal presence of Fenris of course. She's not some ancient god or incarnation of metaphysical intent.
But she might as well have said 'yes' to the woman's questions with her reaction. And the stillness is not stunned shock, but curling, ready violence. Ratcheting. Something no one can miss. "It's from… my mother's side. She is from… elsewhere," Kori gets out, finally. It would not be hard for Astryd to put two and two together towards her guess. Tens of thousands of Tamaraneans fled the recent civil war that had ripped the Vega star system apart. Many had been hunted down grusomely by bounty hunters in the employ of the Citadel. Kori's refined bearing and appearance certainly mark her as someone from the aristocracy, maybe even as Astryd guesses: a priestess.
"I-I should go," Kori says, and for the first time in Eve's recollection, she sounds strained. Nervous, even. She moves with a steady and controlled motion to get to her feet, in such a manner that she doesn't menace Astryd but does *not* give her a physical advantage. And she very carefully moves so that she's interdicting herself between Eve and the Asgardian woman. "I am sorry. I have the.. adult things, to do. I will see you soon again, I hope," she says with a stiff voice, and starts edging to the exit with her rabbit tucked under her arm and the nuclear-armed noodles left on the table.
"Kori?" says Eve. This is a startled reaction for her, to Kori's startlemetn and the sudden nerves and more. She's staring at her, now, and she rises to her feet. "I should go with you." OF course, she's happy to do that much. She'll TOTALLY go with Kori, mostly because that kind of reaction means not wanting to necessarily leave her alone. Of course, she may not get there.
Mostly because she's got that skirt to gather first. ALL THE RUFFLES.
"My graduation?" Betty repeats and gives a shake of her head. "I can't say I do. I never had one." The conversation continues, however, and then the waters shift. A quirk of a brow, she watches after the brilliantly bright woman as she moves. Then goes the yin to the one of royalty's yang. Sipping from her glass, she eyes Astryd and Fenris in turn. A shift in her seat, she clears her throat. "Maybe we should get it for take-away. Tonight is starting to feel tense…"
"Do take care Kori, perhaps I will see you around sometime." Astryd says mildly, watching the woman make her departure quickly and the gothling in ruffles head out … several moments after. "You too, Eve."
"Relax Betty. Things will be fine and if you can, I'd like to sit awhile. Perhaps you can tell me what you did when you left school. If you like, I can dazzle you with stories of my travels across the nine realms."
The Valkyr certainly doesn't sound worried by the redhead's abrupt escape.
And it promises to be a very pleasant evening.