14910/Two For Dinner

Two For Dinner
Date of Scene:	08 April 2023
Location:	Little Bistro - Bushwick, Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Several people decided to try the new local restaurant. Sever heroes managed to meet up and dine together unbeknownst to one another their secrets.
Cast of Characters:	Batgirl (Cain), Ghost Spider, Kit Killovarras, Firestar

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Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Cassandra's been doing her best to acclimate to... well... people. Things. People things. People and their things they do.

Which is to say, while she enjoys the occasional late takeout or delivery dinner with her friends, in the sanctity of home, or on a rooftop overlooking the latest hapless group of criminals to fall into the sights of Gotham's myriad crime fighters... she wants to be better. At people things.

But Gotham just has an aura. She can't relax, can't pretend to relax. Everything is a potential signal to decode towards the next criminal act. And while she would never ignore crime outside Gotham City Limits, or let a Gotham criminal get away with crime in New York instead of her home town... she's at least less likely to run into trouble in NYC.

A little Googling on the train ride to NYC is enough for her to find a restaurant. Communal seating. A ton of complimentary reviews about the food, and a lot of mentions of the communal tables being awkward, being seated with strangers.

Excellent. Good food. Existing awkwardness.

This is tactically advantageous. Which is why there is a seemingly sullen young woman seated at one of the communal tables, dressed literally head to toe in black. A black pageboy cap covering short dark hair, a black leather jacket partly unzipped over black t-shirt. Black jeans. Black laced leather boots with thick soles, looking like army surplus boots. Her style is functional, if seemingly also anti-stylish. And she's glaring at her menu like she's going to stare through it with laser eyes any moment now. And how convenient, while there /are/ other people at the communal table, the seats across from and beside her are vacant.

Sure to be filled soon with new arrivals.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Even Spiders need to eat. Actually, Spiders especially need to eat. All that crawling and swinging and kicking dudes in the head is calorie intensive.

Which is to say, Gwen is starving.

She's seen the reviews for this place and, as a chatterbox who will literally talk to anything, it's her kind of place. Captive audience.

Thusly, we find the Ghost Spider, who is dressed like a person in a sweatervest over a blouse with the sleeves rolled up, pleated skirt, tights and, weirdly, ballet shoes, seating herself across from Cass. She greets the sullen looking young woman with a bright smile, the lights glinting from her barbell piercings in her eyebrow. "Hi there, anything look good?" Gwen asks cheerily. "I'm Gwen!"

All these Spiders are friendly. Hoo boy.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Well, word of a new place opening up in town is one thing, but when it's in his own neck of the woods? You best believe that a certain hyena is going to manage to make an appearance. He is, after all, a fan of good food and he's generally used to awkwardness.

Enter Kit, a 6'6" tall Aardwolf standing on two VERY non-human legs, dressed in baggy black jeans, a black hoodie and not much else. He isn't concealing his paws tonight, or his tail or any other part of himself, since he'd gotten more comfortable with the area himself over the last year.

When he takes note of the other individual with a similar fashion sense? Kit walks over, moving along with a near totally silent stride right up until the chair to the left of the poor girl spins and Kit plops himself down in it with a simple, "Hey there," and a warm smile. "Name's Kit, hope you don't mind me grabbing this seat?"

Firestar has posed:
Not really a local anymore, Angelica is wandering around the town she lived in when she was a girl just trying to get a feel for the place again. It is close enough to dinner time that she decides to walk into the place and pauses just inside the door. The place is crowded and indeed, the table situtation is a little awkward.

She looks around, hoping for something of a corner table, but not happening. Her fate decided she walks towards where Cassandra and others are starting to gather,"Room for one more?" She pauses as she notes Kit and she offers him a wave and waits to see about a seat.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Cass practices her friendly smile as Gwen settles into her seat and greets her with a far more bright and winning smile. But those piercings get raised eyebrows, a little widening of guarded eyes, and Cass can't help but read the blonde's body language. Motions smooth, controlled, almost to the point of being /too/ graceful. But then, she's wearing ballet shoes. A dancer. It makes sense.

And so Cass practices her friendliest smile, it's almost a perfect mimicry of a genuine smile, except that those dark eyes don't quite get the message about looking friendly. The almost-grimace at being asked if anything looks good? That's /totally/ genuine.

Her voice doesn't quite croak out, but it's barely above the noise of the busy restaurant, "Hi. Cassandra." She looks back down to the menu and shrugs, "Salad Nicoise?"

Kit's approach doesn't get quite the reaction he might get from others from the quiet young woman... then again, she seems deadpan enough that a nuclear bomb walking into the restaurant would get surprised eyebrows at the most. As is, when he drops in she shakes her head in the negative at his question if she minds him joining, "Cass. Andra. Cassandra."

And then Angelica is joining the table and Cassandra feels some tension leave... no more empty seats. She can do this. She can eat a salad at a restaurant.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen is a ball of sunshine. At least right now. Her head tilts just a little at Cass. Her Spider Sense is going off at the young woman. It's incredibly faint, but it's there. The woman is a walking threat. To what, Gwen's not sure, but her senses can feel the violence inherent to her, and it's unnerving. Almost as much as the perfectly replicated smile under...unfeeling? eyes. Cass can possibly see that Gwen has her at least a little pegged.

Her smile never wavers though. "So nice to meet you, Cass! ... I can call you Cass, right?" The light that glints from the barbells in her eyebrow also glints off something in her mouth. Then it clicks against her teeth as she peers at her own menu. "Salad, huh? I think I'm in the mood for something a bit heartier. Like...pasta, or something."

Then the aardwolf shows up, and Gwen's eyes go wide. "Oh, wow. Uh, Hi." She bites her lip a little to keep herself from blurting things out that might be offensive by accident. Luckily, Angelica joins them too. That sunshine is directed at her, too. "Guess we're full up, now!"

Kit Killovarras has posed:
The responses get a little bit of a chuckle from Kit and Angelica gets perked ears and a warm smile before he picks up a menu and starts skimming through it. "Hmm.." is all he gives for a moment before he sets it back down and gives a toothy little grin.

"Well, I know what I'm getting." The aardwolf muses with a little shrug, then rests his arms and head on the back of his backwards chair. "Just hoping that their coot doesn't get too stressed out by it." he adds with a quiet chuckle.

Gwen's response takes a moment to register with him though. Heightened senses can be a useful thing, so the fact that she's actively trying not to blurt out questions? Kit gives her a little glance and tilts his head ever so slightly before he smiles and gives the same prompt he always does. A simple, "It can be a pain in the tail, trying to figure out how to ask questions politely, huh?" with that same warm smile.

Firestar has posed:
Once she is settled, Angelica takes a moment to look over the menu. Closeness makes her a little uncomfortable and it is clear, but mostly just in a little squirmy body language.

She regards Cassandra for a moment, but doesn't try to force the conversation, easily understanding shy on some levels. She does return the smile that Kit offers and smirks a little when he comments about stressing the cook and the question about polite questions gets a little shakeof her head. He's not wrong at all.

She looks Gwen, returning the smile with a little more effort behind it,"Seems like. This place is...something." She looks back to the menu to study it for moment to make a decision about food.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
When the waitstaff come by, Cass orders via the expedient method of pointing at her chosen salad and tap-taptapping, then just... nodding at the server's recommended dressing. Easy enough. She's got this. It's going great.

She even manages another smile for Gwen and a swift nod, "Yes. Cass is good. I'm... good." She can't think of any other way to reassure the blonde, but she can read that tension... they can each tell the other is... more. Somehow.

Not exactly what she was planning with her outing, but it's going into her mind to be considered and explored later before she's bobbing her head to Kit... partly in greeting and acceptance, partly because Gwen's 'Oh wow' seems fitting.

Angelica gets a lopsided little half-smile from Cass as she chimes in. "Busy. Definitely. Hopefully for good reason."

Well, hopefully because the food is good and not because the constant, tightly packed crowds are some sort of self-sustaining busy-nes, people showing up because it's busy, thus making more people show up because it's busy, without any good food.

Not that Cass is going to complain about /her/ food. Calories are calories. But 'Up to snuff for the sheltered assassin girl' is not exactly a ringing culinary endorsement. Hardtack is 'good enough' for Cass.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Gwen orders in a similar way ro Cass, but with more clicking of the stud in her tongue and pointing at a horrificly bad for her chicken alfredo. With bacon. She's pretty tiny, she'll never be able to finish it. It's too big, too rich.

Challenge accepted.

"I don't like to pry about ... personal conditions, is all," she says, that sunshine only flickering for a moment as the buzz in her head gets a little stronger. Not from Cass, though. From the redhead next to her. Wild.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
When the server gets around to him, Kit produces a small slip of paper from his hoodie pocket, his claws glowing faintly as the light scrawls his order across it.

Two servings of balsamic chicken, three reubens and a cob salad. Well, apparently someone is hungry tonight.

"Is my fur falling out?" he asks with a little perk of his ears and a playful grin, then gives a shrug and muses, "Either way, offer stands. I'm an open book." Then he turns his attention to Angelica and tilts his head a little before he asks, "By the way. Did you ever get ahold of the headmistress?"

Firestar has posed:
Studying the menu, Angelica opts for the soup of the day and a grilled cheese. Fancy diner that one. She sets the menu aside and nods to Cassandra,"Hopefully so. I would hate to think we're in this mess of people to get mediocre food."

She looks at Kit and she nods, a strange look on her face and she replies,"Appreciate you getting me in contact with her. I will probably be around the school a little more often. We'll see." She adds a coffee to her order and settles into the seat more. She slides out of her jacket and folds it over her lap for now.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Cass is, if not /polite/, quiet enough not to remark on anyone ordering a sizable portion of food. If she were ordering for herself recovering from a patrol she'd be right there ordering an outsized amount of sustenance for her slight frame.

But the salad that arrives is subterfuge, cover for this social experimentation.

Although she's happy enough to dig in with apparent glee. Not ravenous, but she's happy to have the excuse of eating for moments while her mind whirls to come up with smalltalk.

But then she feels it. She's taking too long... and chime sin to Gwen, "I like your shoes! You dance?"

Alright! She did it. She asked a question not about vigilante activity, close combat weapons, or investigative techniques.

She is doing /excellent/. And she's engaging in active listening behaviour as she lets her attention clearly flick between Angelica and Kit as they discuss the redhead's... trip to a school? Excellent. Another mundane subject of discussion!

She is doing so well at this.

Ghost Spider has posed:
Kit casts, and Gwen's senses fire -again-. She's at a table with three incredibly dangerous people. One she's pretty sure she knows why. The other two aren't so clear. It still says that Cass is the most dangerous. More dangerous than the weird looking wolfman? And it's not too much of a surprise that she feels more dangerous than Angelica. Though the fact that Angelica feels dangerous at all is weird.

Her giant bowl arrives, complete with a hunk of garlic bread. Blue eyes just light up in genuine happiness. And then her stomach growls. Audibly.

Before she digs in, she looks at Cass, clicking the barbell against her teeth. "Oh, these?" She sticks a leg out, showing off the shoes. "I used to when I was little. I just like the style of it, honestly," she says with a shrug, digging in finally. She's got okay manners, at least, but her hunger is blatant.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
Kit gives Angelica a little nod before he muses, "Well cool. Glad I could help." Then he gives a toothy little grin as he adds, "Hopefully we'll be able to hang out more often then." Yup, the funny look doesn't really get a response, but then again, the hyena can be mildly clueless at times too.

After a while, at least part of the aardwolf's order manages to come out: the salad and he wastes little time starting in on it. He's not ravenous by any stretch of the imagination, but he also manages to take bites that most people would have trouble with too.

After the first few bites though, Kit gives a glance around the table, wipes his maw and tilts his head ever so slightly before he asks, "So, where are the rest of you from?" always the curious thing and always on the hunt to meet new people it seems.

Firestar has posed:
A look from a nearby table and a few others makes Angelica glad that she specified the school part of their conversation. Her meal and coffee arrive and she thanks the server. She tastes the soup and give Kit a nod when he mentions hanging out again,"That will probably happen yes."

Since he already knows where Angelica is from she knows he is asking the others about their origins and concentrates on a few bites of dinner. Her phone chimes and she rolls her eyes as she checks it. Inspite of herself she glances towards the shoes that are indicated because, curious is curious.

Batgirl (Cain) has posed:
Cass's eyebrows perk up just a touch, a brief moment of genuine surprise at Gwen's gesture with that barbell. But she bobs her head at the explanation of the unique footwear, looking down at them, "They're good. Useful for balance and agility."

She sticks her own leg out to show off that sturdy, thick soled combat boot. "Good for kicking. Also stomping." She shrugs in a helpless little, 'Sometimes that's what you need in footwear' shrug.

She bobs her head to Kit, "Gotham. Wanted to... stretch my legs. Out of town." She gestures around the restaurant vaguely, "Lots of good reviews so..." Another shrug.

She can't help but commiserate with Angelica's reaction to her phone chiming. Cass might not roll her eyes when hers chimes. But inside? Insside her soul her /soul eyes/ roll.

And so Cass continues to pick away at her salad, a precise, calculated assault to ensure optimal dressing consumption to salad component ratio. She hates being left with undressed salad, or extra dressing.

Efficiency is a joy. And already, Cass knows she's going to tell Steph she did this. And that it went well. And not even 'I only knocked out one person' well. Well well.

Ghost Spider has posed:
If Cass is efficient, Gwen is a machine. A wood chipper. A clean wood chipper, but a wood chipper. The pasta is eliminated with precise application of force. Somehow she manages not to wear any and not make a mess.

This counts as a win!

"Me? I'm from Queens. Born and raised, on the playground is where I spent most of my ... Nevermind," she says, trailing off.

She doesn't even have the good grace to look embarassed. She sticks her foot out again, comparing shoes and sizes with Cass, grinning. "There is something to be said about stompy boots. I think I have a whole Goth Thing in my closet for when I'm feeling saucy," she says with a smile.

Kit Killovarras has posed:
While the other two are contemplating shoes, the aardwolf just wiggles his toes and enjoys the rest of his salad. When the rest of his meal comes out, he'd manage to kill it off rather quickly, managing to kill off each of the sandwiches in a few bites and do it without managing to make a mess of his fur!

"Gotham was an interesting place last time I was there." Kit says with a little nod, adding an amused, "I can understand wanting to stretch your legs a bit though."

Aaaaaand then Gwen cracks that particular joke and the poor Hyena just looks at her and tilts his head to one side, looking rather confused. He does eventually give a little shrug and perk up a little, "That reminds me, I have to pick up a package over in Flushing tomorrow."

Firestar has posed:
Angelica frowns as she studies the phone thoughtfully. She sighs, rolls her eyes, and puts it in her coat pocket. Hate to eat and run, but she finishes up the last of her soup and grabs the other half of her sandwich to take on the go.

She pauses as she hears Gwen's run on the Fresh Prince theme and smirks a little, breaking up the sudden tension in her figure. She puts down enough money to pay for her meal and a tip for the server. She gives Kit a nod,"Be careful going home." she offers and nods to Cassandra and Gwen in turn.

She gets up and heads out the door, typing something on her phone with a sigh. She heads out the door, then turns into a side alley. A quick flash of light comes from the back of the alley and off she goes to who knows where in a hurry.