7026/The Palace of Delights

The Palace of Delights
Date of Scene:	25 March 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Vorpal runs into Diana at the place where they sell the best food on earth. According to Vorpal. He actually gets to talk to Diana without freaking out, for once.
Cast of Characters:	87, Wonder Woman

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Vorpal (87) has posed:
The Shawarma Palace was one of Manhattan's most popular places for the caped community. Even if the decor is not much to write home about, the atmosphere is pleasant and convivial, and the food is delicious.

Vorpal is done with his patrol for the day. Starting tomorrow, he switches to night-time patrols since he goes to class during the day. Sitting at one of the tables, the Cheshire Cat is waiting for his Shawarma and flipping lazily through a textbook that reads 'Simonides the Poet: Intertextuality and Reception'.

A Cheshire cat reading about ancient Greek poets is probably not the strangest thing they have seen at this eatery, but it's probably in the top fifty.

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana had come to this place a month and a half ago with Thor and Carol Danvers. She'd never been here prior to that and now was a 'fan' so to speak, though she was a fairly light eater she knew the food was good and she was coming here to place an order to take back to the Embassy for a guest she was having tomorrow that she knew would love it.

As such the front door to the place opens up, and in casual clothing, Diana Prince enters the store. Wearing black jeans and a dark red faux-leather jacket she steps inside, her hair is tied back into a tight ponytail that drapes down her back and her right hand is holding the strap of a black canvase bag over her right shoulder.

Diana's red lips move into a smile to a pair of young women who recognize her immediately after she enters, she stands there for now having a casual conversation with them, her heavily accented voice carrying about the restaurant as they chat.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal tries very hard not to get distracted. Discussion on this chapter is due tomorrow, and he's barely had a head start, what with chasing people and patrolling and-

His ear twitches. There is something about one of the voices that seems oddly, frighteningly familiar.

People who are regulars here are accustomed to seeing Vorpal. As far as super-celebrities go, he tends to be on the same level of obscurity as Cuba Gooding Jr. these days, so people don't tend to make a fuss over him. By the excited quality of the voices, someone fussworthy just walked in.

He uses his napkin to mark his spot and looks up, and blinks. He immediately recognizes her, of course, and stays rooted to his chair for a few seconds.

"Vorpal!" the man at the counter calls out, his succulent Shawarma ready to be eaten.

The Cheshire cat springs to his feet and walks over to the counter hurriedly, spurred on by the delicious smells.

Shawarma safely secured, he turns around. Realizing he's facing in Diana's direction, and knowing there is no way she's going to miss his colorful self, he grins and gives a timid wave in her direction, not wishing to interrupt her fans.

Wonder Woman has posed:
The shouting of Vorpal's name does draw Diana's attention away from the two young women that she's conversing with. She has a smile on her lips still from their conversation, but she spots the Cheshire cat and her hand raises up to wave at him, she remembers him, she remembers everything though so thats not too surprising.

By the time that Vorpal retrieves his food, she's finished her conversation with the two, and even snapped a picture with the two of them, one of those nice faces-close-big-smiles pics on a cellphone.

Its then that Diana is turning to walk toward the counter and she moves past Vorpal, pausing at the counter a few feet from him. She nods to the employee, a young man, she's taller than him by several inches and he has to look up at her with his dumbfounded stare.

Diana, though, looks to Vorpal. "Hey there." She says to him in her smoky voice. "How are you doing? Well, I hope!" She's all smiles, seemingly in a great mood this evening.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal is short, so from his vantage point he tends to look up at people. With Diana's six feet of height, it is only a matter of looking up higher.

"Errr, hi!" He says, remembering that fans who freak out tend to make very poor first impressions, "Things are going well!" Do you call her Diana? Do you call her Miss Wonder? Do you call her Your Royal Highness? He needs to brush up on etiquette...

"Fancy running into you here, I figured you'd have all sorts of exquisite dishes at the Embassy. Then again, maybe one gets tired of eating home fare for a long time and then you crave..."

He pauses. "I just realized I have no idea what Amazon cuisine looks like. Was that insensitive of me?"

Wonder Woman has posed:
While Vorpal talks, Diana turns to the clerk and she places her order. Its a pretty big order and she gets it in a To-Go form as she relays that to the employee also. Once the order is placed is about the time Vorpal asks that last question which gets her to turn back to face him.

Its not just a natural six feet of height, she's also wearing two inch heeled boots so she's pushed up past her natural height even now. She just grins down at him. "It is basically Greek food." She replies to him at first. "Though, that is excluding the Nectar and the Ambrosia... Those are entirely our own. Would you like a bottle of either? I can have one gift wrapped and left in the Embassy foyer for you." She says this cheerily as she is now handing over a shiny black card to pay for her order.

Then she glances back to Vorpal and her expression is more casual, her dark eyebrows are raised up over her blue eyes and her smoky voice has dropped in volume. "An Asgardian King is coming by tomorrow, I am bringing him his favorite meal. He said my Chef was 'too concerned with modern food trends and did not create feasts to his liking'." Diana flashes Vorpal a grin.

"Kings are such picky and finicky eaters. Like children, really!" Her eyes look to his meal then. "Come here often?" She asks.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"Ambrosia? I don't think I've heard of that... wait." He snaps his fingers. They don't really snap, because of the fur. "Isn't that the drink of the gods that grants immortality? Maybe I'm not remembering correctly... but that sounds... amazing." A pause. "Does it have any alcohol in it? Because I'm not exactly legal yet for that."

Warming up to the conversation, the Cheshire cat scratches his chin, "A king from Asgard? Wow. I'm glad I don't have to entertain royalty... I wouldn't even know where to begin. I don't even know any Asgardians, so I'd probably say something embarrassing or inappropriate and cause an international conflict."

Vorpal, bona fide diplomat, chuckles, "I come here very often, when I'm doing my patrols in 'York. It's affordable enough for the average college student. And college-going felines of the usual sort."

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana motions to a seat so that they can share a table while her order is placed together. She grins at his words. "Thank you for telling me of your age and... there are many different types of Ambrosia. The type you speak of... I do not quite have access to. But, I can provide you with a non alcoholic bottle of what I do have. It is meant for grand celebrations, typically religious in nature and not everyone wishes to drink a beverage that will lead to intoxication."

The Princess takes a seat and she crosses her legs at the knee and keeps her back straight in posture, her hands resting one over the other on top of her upper leg. Proper and poised, as one would expect from someone such as her. She flashes a big grin to Vorpal. "Thor." She says. "'King' Thor as he... seems to be all too pleased to have others refer to him as, is a nice man. I imagine you would enjoy a conversation with him."

A quick glance is given to the interior of the store before Diana's eyes return to Vorpal. "Which college are you attending? Vorpal, yes? I do not think I have ever had a last name for you."

Vorpal (87) has posed:
"That sounds delicious, I'd love a taste of that for sure!" Vorpal sits down when invited, and begins to take small bites out of the shawarma, observing his best manners.

"Thor? Oh, I've seen him-" from afar, usually, never up front "He's got the Vidal Sassoon hair and the thousand gigawatt smile. He seems like a nice guy, I usually don't get much of a chance to rub elbows with the big guys. My colleague sphere is fairly limited. Happens, when you're just a college kid and you don't have the really good powers."

He grins, and leans back on his chair a little. "I didn't give it. Mostly because I have to do the secret identity thing." He reaches for a napkin and hastily scribbles his real name onto it, sliding it over to Diana discreetly, "I'm sort of doing this in secret. My family has no clue."

Wonder Woman has posed:
"Well come by the Embassy sometime this week, I will leave your name with our front desk and there will be a bottle for you and your friends. The safe kind." She says with a slight grin.

As he speaks of Thor, her grin blossoms. "His hair is short now, but yes... when it was long it was just as you described." And as he writes the name down onto the napkin and slides it over to her she takes it and flips it over to read it.

"Well, you are young... you will be 'hanging out with' the biggest names in the business some day, I am sure of it." And after she reads the napkin she wads it up and flashes Vorpal a big smile. "And I shall not share your secret it, because well... let us say that I work with a few people who are just as adamant about maintaining their own personal identity as well. I am experienced at it. See?" She raises the napkin up and at first appears as though she just popped it into her mouth to eat it!

She then stuffs her hands into her jacket pockets and stands up as her order has been set down on the counter and the young employee was nervously speaking out her name. She steps over to retrieve the order and thank him for his work. The young man just blushes and stammers out a nervous reply.

Vorpal (87) has posed:
Vorpal laughs at the eating-the-secret-message gag, but then her order is called out so he stands up as well, what's left of his shawarma still clutched in the wrapper. "I don't know if I'll ever get to that point, but thanks!" His grin turns mischievous as he asks, "Did Batman make you eat his name, too? I'd imagine he'd have special Bat-paper that self-destructs."

He doesn't mention that he is privy to the secret, but by way of his son. Not that they really talk about it much- a secret is a secret, after all, and Vorpal isn't in the A-list that gets you invited to the Bat-cave, he's in the D-list that gets you invited over for tea and cookies by Alfred. Which are pretty darned good, incidentally.

"I guess you probably have to head out," he nods to the order, "I'll stop by the embassy tomorrow, thank you so much! But... I'm curious."

He tilts his head, "How on earth does an Asgardian king develop a taste for middle-eastern take out?"

Wonder Woman has posed:
Diana's eyes drop into the big plastic bag she as given and she hears Vorpal's words. They make her look up with a smile and a laugh. "Batman?" She says, then shakes her head and her expression falls serious. "No no... he is more of an 'invisible ink' kind of man. He is old you know? They love the old tricks." She flashes him a grin then and picks the bag up.

"I do have to return to the Embassy." She tells him then and offers him her hand to shake. "It was a pleasure to see you again, Vorpal. I hope that the Titans enjoyed the baskets that I sent over for Raven's assistance in Times Square. She is a remarkable young one, one I would very much love to speak with in detail some day."

And then the Princess is grinning again. "And blame Captain Marvel for Thor's interest in this food. She told him he would love it, he--of course--claiemd otherwise. But here I am!" She holds the stuffed bag up. "Preparing for his visit." She smirks then and looks back to Vorpal, but prepares to go.

"Stay safe, okay? And do not forget about the drink should you wish to pick it up!"