10801/Pizza and Conversation

Pizza and Conversation
Date of Scene:	20 January 2020
Location:	Angelo's Pizza - Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Fiona, Johnny Storm, and Carlo meet at his pizza place.
Cast of Characters:	Carlo Paccioretti, Fiona Glenanne, Human Torch

---

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
Angelo's Pizza, in Brooklyn, is normally a fairly busy place. Nothing like lines around the block or anything like that, but more like people coming and going regularly, getting a slice or two, maybe a drink while they wait for the pie to come out of the oven. Regular business. Today, though, is different. While there was a surge a little bit before dinner, crowds had tapered off on this quiet Monday evening. That left time for Carlo to do a little cleaning, to button up the buffet, and basically sit and enjoy the quiet of a mostly empty pizza joint.

Sitting at the bar, Carlo is working on a chalk menu of beers on tap. Nothing like Budweiser or Miller, but intersting, high-octane stuff. Guinness. Something from Texas called Contract Killer. Something from Vermont called Ghost in the Machine. 120 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head Brewery. Good stuff.

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
Fiona's striding in. Coat? Check. Temper? Check. Hungry Irish lady who likes to detonate and/or shoot things? Yes. Fi nods and steps inside pocketing her phonee. Taking it all in she inhales deeply. Watching it all, Fi strolls to the bar, boots on the floor, as she is wering her usual getup. Blouse, salmon colored, jeans, boots, and her watch. She's got her hair tied back, though her eyes look dark and mean. Mostly since she's hungry, and nothing more. Or at least. Nothing more. yet.

Human Torch has posed:
"Cute."

Is all Johnny says as he enters. He pauses to back up and look at the sign in the front.

He finds a doorbell and rings it.

"Heeelllloooo. Anybody hoome?"

He walks in shoulders back pulling the sunglasses from his eyes to the top of his head.

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
Pizza places, around the world, have a particular smell. Oil, garlic and onion sizzling, fermenting dough, melting cheese, cornmeal in the oven, and cured meats and vegetables all mix into a lovely melange. It smells good in here. Homey, even. Sure, you probably won't be able to get a mince pie without describing how to cook it, but as far as pizza goes, this is the place. Dusting the chalk from his hands, Carlo swivels to look towards the door as two customers come in. "Evenin', you two." Brooklyn accent, so this guy's definitely a local. "Welcome to the shop. Can I get you somethin'?"

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
Fiona's done a lot of business in pizza joints. Something about food and business going together. Though given just what Fiona's businesses is...that's scary given she deals and hunts. She looks over Carlo and speaks. "Evening. You cooking?" she asks. She's got a middle of the road New York accent, somewhere in the city. Reaching back and tucking her hair back, Fiona considers the question of what to get. "You suggest anything for a run off her feet woman?" Fi asks, her eyes on Carlo

The look in her eyes is somewhere between dangerous, and hungry. So she's dangerous if she gets bad food or worse, no food. And hungry because, she's, well, hungry. Very hungry.

Fi slides a boot along the floor and snaps her fingers at her sides. "Okay, just....you do any good pies or pizzas, yeah?" she asks.

Human Torch has posed:
"UUmmmmm SERVIIIICEEE"

Johnny sits at a space as close to the front as possible. "I don't have all day."

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
Chalkboard is put down, chalk is put behind the bar, and Carlo stands, wiping his hands off on a towel. "Still cooking. Ain't gonna close for at least another couple of hours. Advantage of bein' the only owner. I can stay open as long as I want. At least until the Monday night game is over." The towel is slung over his right shoulder, and Carlo gives Johnny a look before moseying over. "Scuse me a second. I'll get you a meal and a beer if you want one once I talk wit' this guy." This guy being Johnny. Carlo approaches. "Hey, pal, be polite, yeah? This is a pizza joint. No waiters, no dishwashers, no cooks. Just me. You want a slice or somethin'?"

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
Fiona smirks, "Yeah, wait, you assume any of our teams in the three states are gonna put up any good games" she says. "God knows I could use a good game to distract myself. It's been average after average after what the hell happened type games, huh?" she muses with a grin. "Hey, buddy, listen to what this owner guy said" Fi adds looking to Johnny. Her tone's not mean, just more friendly. If she wanted to be mean she'd have tore into him. FI hasn't. "Sure, meal's good. Food may make all of us nicer though" she adds. "What was that proverb about food and armies...oh yeah, an army doesn't march on an empty stomach" she shrugs

Human Torch has posed:
looks between the two for a long moment the says, "What? Teams?"

"And hey, I am ALWAYS ..-nice-," he pulls out a wad of money.

"So, what do you have here? Fries? Burgers?"

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
The look Carlo gives Johnny underscores how little he thinks of the flashing of the wad of cash. He's marked this guy as a poser already. "It's a pizza joint. What's with this guy..." That's an aside to Fiona before Carlo shakes his head, turning back to Johnny. "We serve pizza, italian food, stuff like that." A menu, a single sheet of paper, laminated, is stuck on the table for Johnny to peruse. "I'll bring you some water. If somethin' looks good, order and I'll get it cooked." Carlo then heads back to the bar, leaving Johnny at his table in the front to get water and a basket of bread for him to munch on. "How about you, miss?" He's polite to Fiona, perhaps a little friendly, but that's what you do when you're the local pizza guy. "You want something a little more substantial, or is pizza good? I can get you some braciole stuffed with cheese and herbs, or some porchetta. And a beer. I don't do that usual stuff, though."

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
Fiona's got her own cynical thoughts about the wad of cash being flashed. It comes off to her as tacky, and that's coming from an arms dealer/bounty hunter...though she smiles. "to Carlo. "Sure, that sounds good" Fiona says. Easy when the owner suggests a meal, see. Fi goes and gets a table too, peering up and down the menu as Fi grins, she gets up and returns to the bar. "Alright what beers you got on tap tonight?" she e asks.

Fi grins, looking over to the bar and smiles watching Carlo, then to Johnny. "Teams. Monday Night. Ya know. Sports" she offers and returns to her table, after picking out the beer from Vermont, too.

Human Torch has posed:
Johnny Storm also goes over the menu and he frowns taking a sip from his water. He's not ready yet, he flips the menu over and says idly, "OH. Sports. Meh."

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
From behind the bar, Carlo tilts up the sign that has the beers, allowing Fiona to read them more easily while the bread and water is brought over to Johnny, each placed down within reach, with a napkin and a coaster and everything. This place may look simple, but even in simple places, there are rules of decorum, and being polite is the first of many in Carlo's view.

     "Sports give me something to talk about to the customers when they come in." He's making conversation. "Lotsa locals just want to talk about the Yankees, the Giants, the Mets. I like college football personally. Just more exciting to me, and every game seems to mean somethin' to the kids playing." Bread and water deposited, Carlo makes his way behind the bar to start filling Fiona's glass with Ghost in the Machine, a pale amber beer that smells citrusy and has a nice head on top of it. "Here you go, lady." She gets a smile. "You enjoy and I'll get your food. A nice salad, too."

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
Fiona laughs softly. "Hockey. You forgot hockey. Yankees, pah, Mets? Bah. Giants? No way. if I was born and raised here, I'd be cheering for one, but Empire City's my home" she offers "So other side of the river for me" she says and raises the glass, taking a sip before carrying it back to the table, sitting at it. She watches Johnny with the bread and water, nodding to him as if letting him know she means no harm. Just....the wad of cash was a little showy. In Fiona's world that's trouble. Though Fiona moves in worlds where being too showy gets you shot or killed, really. it's funny, the worlds Fiona moves in. She's a dangerous lady, Miss Glenanne...

She nods to Carlo. "So go on. Pick one. One of this city's teams. Gotham's got its own teams, and God they are that city's lifeblood. Crime on the field, crime off it. You know they should just put the Arkham inmates as the starters. Then no you'll get people crying oh my God, flying with a fastball is cheating, you flew 99 yards for a TD" Fi shrugs, mini rant ovr. Oh she can rant, but if anyone wants sports? Ask Mike or Sam. Fi's just giving her opinion. God knows the two men in her team know their sports too, and Carlo, also. See, Fi's Irish. Her sports are soccer, and hurling, and that's bout it. Competitive exploding things, too, if that ever reaches sport status.

Which isn't likely, given oddly enough the venues tend to get caught up in the explosions. "Got a friend who played college hoops. He now works for one of the big firms in Empire City, Said it was the most fun three years of his life. Got his degree. Knew he'd not get drafted. Echoed what you said, every game was on the line. Pros? Nah. Sorry but I'll go to his college games any time I can score tickets. I sell stuff, I get rewarded" Fi nods. That's a subtle hint to her real profession. Oh there's pictures of Fiona out there too. She's known as an arms dealer and she's fine with that. "Besides, college games let you go in, sell stuff to people. Try that in the pros, get thrown the hell out and told not to come back. Colleges don't care if I sell somebody a box of Girl Scout cookies between plays" Fi mutters. Yes. Actual Girl Scout cookies. how Fi got them? Mystery she won't divulge.

Human Torch has posed:
Johnny Storm drops the menu and pushes it forward and calls out a bit loudly as well, "I'll do the Salmon Skin Sushi and Waffle Fries."

Afterwhich he grabs his cellphone and begins to take a selfie but stopping half way through he also says, "Hey, can you turn up the lights a little?" he says trying to get the perfect pose.

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
"Yeah, Basketball too. Never got into hockey, and Basketball, I think I'd like it more if I actually played the game, but never did in school. Too much time studying and playing Rugby." That explains the physique, more than likely. Selling stuff, though? That's something Carlo knows about. "Gotta know where to get things to get things you need. Noble profession, if you do it right."

Johnny's bellowed order causes Carlo to stop and look at Fiona, almost to clarify that he heard what he just heard, and then slips into the back to start getting things together. The lights, for a brief moment or two, flick on a bit brighter, giving Johnny the extra light for his selfie before going back to normal dining levels a minute or so later.

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
Fiona gets up and goes to the bar. "You know" she says, a gleam in her eyes. "I thought I misheard him. I didn't. Ah wel. If he's so obsessed with his phone he can wait on food, right?" Fi asks, that gleam in her eyes. It's her way of teaching that it's rude to have phones at the table. She glances to Johnny and shakes her head again, then back to Carlo. "Huh. i'd have not touched the lights personally. He's not even paid yet. I on the other hand have ordered and paid for my drink"

Fi's up to a slight power move here, she's already ordered and got her drink. Thus. She's ahead of Johnny in the pecking order, so to speak...least in her eyes. So, she meanders back to her table, her phone only briefly in hand as she sends a text, then it's pocketed as she returns her attention to her drink, watching Johnny with a mixture of disappointment and disbelief. Oh, he's not making friends with her any. He's coming off as one of those rich people who can do whatever they want. The sort of people she helps Sam and Mike deal with when they cross lines.

Human Torch has posed:
Johnny Storm throws up a thumb towards Carlo, "Thanks Brother!"

He got a few snaps in and then he drops his sunglasses and takes a few more in the dark.

THEN he puts his sunglasses back on top of his head and leans back doing various other things now on his phone but he has time to say.

"Giants lost. Mets lost. Yankees lost. Rangers of course and no one cares about the islanders. You're welcome."

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
"Hitting a switch for him ain't that big of a deal." Carlo calls back from his spot in the kitchen where the sounds of movement and cooking can be heard. Eventually he emerges from the kitchen with a plate for Fiona. "Beef Braciole a-la-Carlo." he says with a flourish, placing it down in front of her. Medallions of slow-roasted beef that appear to be rolled up with a filling of cheese and breadcrumbs atop a generous serving of tomato sauce and a nice pasta beneath. A small Ceasar salad accompanies it, along with fresh bread for dipping. "And if you like that, I can do creme brulee for dessert."

Johnny, on the other hand, with his water and bread, is kind of being neglected in the front of the restaurant but, after a minute or two, a short hispanic man pokes his head in. "Hey Carlo?"

"Joey, hey. Yeah, that dude there, in the front. We'll get together tomorrow and get a sandwich, yeah?" He points towards Johnny.

"Yeah, okay, Carlo." Joey waves a hand and approaches the table, cock-sure and comfortable. "You the guy who wanted this stuff?" He hefts the plastic bag as a bit of an underscore, putting it down in front of Johnny. "Nobu says you're welcome." And then, with a wave to Carlo, Joey heads out.

Inside the bag? A salmon skin roll from a local joint and a bag of Curly fries from Chick-fil-a.

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
Fiona's feeling like she got the better end of the deal. Somehow because, that looks really, really good. Digging in with cutlery she carefully cuts a tiny bit and tries it. Oh, it's good. It's very good. Another bite and a mouthful, Fiona munches on it and enjoys it more than she lets on, with a nod to Carlo. "You're good" she says keenly. "Oh you're good"

Human Torch has posed:
Johnny Storm claps to himself excitedly and says under his breath, "Yes!" then a little lighter setting his whole sushi setup up.

"Fish oil is good for the skin brother," he reaches in for chopsticks then sets them down to demostrate. He stands.

J Storm rubs his skin and then lifts his shirt a little to show his belly, "See. Fish oil in my loition, food..evyerthing," he smiles scooting back into his seat. He starts to eat as well dipping the fries in the wasabi and soy suace mix.

"You got any peppers? Like spicy ones? And you know what this place could use? A disco ball!"

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
"I try." Carlo grins. "Ma always told me that if you're going to do something, do it right, and well." Carlo says with a grin, offering the shredded parmesan cheese...thing...that almost all italian restaurants have, giving Fiona's dish a dusting of freshly grated cheese. And it is good. Not poisoned or anything, well cooked. Maybe a little too moist in places, but that's a hiccup with the oven and the braising process. Something that'll work out with time.

"I'm Carlo." he says, finally introducing himself. "This is my place." Johnny straightening and showing off his stomach gets a shake of his head. "Hey man c'mon. I called in a favor gettin' that skin thing for ya in the middle of rush hour, just sit and enjoy. No need to show off, scare away all the customers." of which, right now, there aren't any, but still, it's just polite. "Yeah, I've got a few jalapenos and serrano peppers. Scotch bonnet if you're wanting to burn both ends."

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
There's a snort from Fiona. "Not that sort of place" she sighs and looks over to Carlo. "You did good with my meal" she nods and is quite happily chowing down on her food. Looking over the plate, Fiona's making inroads into it, which....is good. Is very good. Is very very good.
She's just glad she's not got takeout food at all, favor or not. She'd rather go with home cooked food. Which oddly enough is what she got!

Human Torch has posed:
"Scotch Bonnets!" Johnny exclaims. "Yeah man. Thanks Brother."

Even though Carlo introduced himself.

"And bruh, I just wanted to show you how to take care of your skin," he glaces towards Fiona and give her a long squinting look then says, "I bet that -she- has good skin."

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
All food that comes from here is technically home cooked, since Carlo's home is upstairs on the second floor. "You're welcome." Carlo says with a grin, straightening and heading back to the kitchen, returning a little bit later with a white plate with about four bright yellow peppers, stems and all, which is placed on the table where johnny sits. "No need for that. My skin's just fine. I get some sun, get exercise, eat right. Lots of fish and whole grains. Only way I can keep the weight off, owning an italian restaurant." Carlo grins and leaves the little check thing on the counter, returning to check on Fiona, refilling her beer if she wants and bringing a glass of water. For a restauranteur, Carlo is doing amazingly.

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
Fiona grins and nods. "Thanks" she says when the beer's refilled, she nods and chews on the pasta having worked her way down to that and she pauses, sippping her beer again. "So you run this place?" Fi asks, looking to Carlo. "See, I like this place" Fi offers, looking impressed then to Johnny, then right back to Carlo.

"So" Fiona says, turning her eyes to Johnny. "You think I got soft skin? Well then" she muses, watching him. "Why do you want to know?"

Human Torch has posed:
Johnny Storm chews completely oblivious, "Because I want to show my bro here...umm...bro what good skin looks like. Show him," he says dropping one of his chopsticks on the floor. He sighs and grabs it and begins to eat again just after grabing a pepper and popping it into his mouth.

"Hmm...that's good."

"Go on..show'em."

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
Normally people acting like Johnny have had too much to drink, so Carlo kinds of shifts modes and, instead of being belligerent or combative, kind of de-escalates. "Nah, she ain't going to do that, mister. She ain't introduced herself and, besides, a lady don't do stuff like that in a public setting just because a guy eatin' sushi and peppers tells her to. That's kind of rude." Not kind of, really. More like is.

"Why don't you finish your meal and call it a night, yeah? I'll get you a cab and you can go home."

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
Fiona is glaring daggers at Johnny. She shakes her head, "I think you've had enough to drink and should go home" she says, echoing Carlo's thoughts. Fi looks to Carlo, "Hey can I take this home?" she asks. "Empire City's a ways away" she shrugs, glaring daggers to Johnny.

Human Torch has posed:
Johnny Storm shrugs, "I don't need cab," he takes a another pepper and eats it. "But sure. I'll take the check," and he pauses taking a nother drink of his water and another fry.

"Your hand has skin on it right?" he says noticing the looks.

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
The check holder magically appears, the reciept for the sushi, the bread, the water, and the waffle fries, plus the scotch bonnet peppers each listed with a price next to it. Surprisingly, it's not super expensive - Carlo knows a guy that knows a guy who knows some things - but tipping might be encouraged.

Fiona Glenanne has posed:
Fiona knows a guy who has friends who...yeah Fiona's like that. She though waits, she did ask if she could take the food home with her. She does, after all have places to be, and things to do. Mostly things that are best done when not in a pizza joint.

Human Torch has posed:
Johnny Storm grabs his cash wad and peels off a few 20's and tosses them down on the check.

He finshes off the water and then bites into a piece of bread. Pushing himself up from the table he throughs a two fingered salute.

"What's your name by the way bro?" he doesn't really look towards the lady 'cept for a quick smirk.

Carlo Paccioretti has posed:
She did ask for a box, didn't she? "Of course you can take it home. One second." Carlo vanishes into the back and, a few moments later, a to-go box makes an appearance, followed by a plastic bag and one of those little packages of silverware that seem to always go home with things like that. He even vanishes into the kitchen and returns with another, smaller one, that smells of glazed sugar and vanilla - the promised creme brulee for later.

Oh, the guy at the front said something. Carlo turns his attention to Johnny, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm Carlo Paccioretti, owner of this place."

Human Torch has posed:
Johnny Storm frowns, "Pacciiitorini? Pacorvotti? You know what? It doesn't matter. Thanks Yolo! See you around," another two finger salute and he strolls out.