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 Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 2:30 pm
Quote: Prompt 6: There's something on the roof. It has no energy signature, so it can't possibly be a youma or any powered vigilante, but something's on the roof. It sounds like it's clopping around. If you go outside and investigate, there is a deer on the roof. A fully sized deer, staring down at you. The moment you blink, or look away, it's gone; if you investigate further you will find that there are tracks left in the snow atop the roof--but none around the house. It looks like it just showed up there--and just disappeared.
For the most part, Evan's life had been going well. Tobias had made his life so much easier, and Cambria and Zac were still the best support system Evan could have asked for. Most days, at least one of them was with him working at the food truck and he hadn't had to go out of his way to look into actually hiring someone.
Today was one of those weird days where Evan was on his own--even if only just for a bit.
But. That was mostly his fault, anyway.
Last night had been nerve wracking; he'd been the one to wake up to the sound of something on the roof and, paranoid as always, he had woken up Tobias. And Cambria. And Zack. And Soleiyu, who had been sleeping on Cambria's pillow, but still.
Evan was worried someone was going to try and break in, worried that it was some sort of attack. They were all Senshi or Knights--or Soleiyu--so it would have been perfect. He was frantic, already fresh out of a nightmare he couldn't remember, when Zac grumbled that he'd just go outside and make sure everything was fine just to get Evan to go back to bed.
Cambria probably wasn't just humoring Evan like Zak was and had gone out with him--and then Evan, feeling bad, had gone out too, and Tobias couldn't let him go out and worry.
Soleiyu stayed in bed because it was warm there, and if there was trouble they needed to deal with, it could come in and get them.
There was a deer on the roof, they'd all seen it. Or, at least, it was something that looked like a deer. It had no energy signature, but there was no explanation because it was there one second and gone the next, with no sign how it had gotten up there.
And now, here he was, manning the food truck by himself because Cambria had to go get them some caffeine filled drinks to get them through the next few hours. It was slow enough, and Evan hadn't protested--despite how much he disliked having to actually talk people and be outside the comfort of his kitchen.
Today, it was cold. Today, they had a special menu--soup and sandwiches, both of which were quick to whip up, and was fairly easy enough for him to handle while taking orders. He had fifteen fresh grilled cheese sandwiches staying warm in the oven, and his pot of soup was resting on the stove.
Business had been better earlier, so Evan had moved the bell and little sign that said 'ring for service' to the front of the counter, in plain sight, and went to stand by the stove and warm his hands while he tried to puzzle just what had happened last night--and assume that every strange sound he heard while in the food truck was another deer on the roof.
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 8:28 pm
Karone hadn’t had to go Christmas shopping in a while, she always got something nice for her sister, sure...but she hadn’t had…friends to buy things for, and the fact that she had the lovesick trio in her life...even if she wasn’t as close to either of the other two like she was with Yu...she still wanted to get them something. And Oreo of course. And the horses.
She had forgotten just how hungry she could get while shopping, and when her eyes lit upon a friendly looking food truck that promised cheesy things, her stomach gave a rumble that said it wanted whatever was in the truck.
Right now.
With a spring in her step and surprisingly heavy shopping bags on her arm, she strode over, taking a long look at the menu before pressing the bell, eager to get her mouth around one of these grilled cheese sandwiches that were advertised today.
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:06 pm
The ting of the bell quickly summoned Evan, who was shaken out of his confusion and moved away from the warm oven and back to the counter.
"Oh--hi, sorry," he said, perpetually apologetic when introduced to any social situation, especially with strangers. There was a good reason why he didn't usually take orders.
"Welcome to Snack 'n Cheese. Um. We've got a special today. Broccoli Cheddar soup and a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. And before you ask if that's too much cheese, it's not, because everything I make is with cheese, and if I told you you'd barely taste it, I'd be lying because it tastes delicious. I think. Um. You can judge yourself. If you want. But I can make you something else off the menu, it just might take me a little longer. Um. I'm the only one here right now, so."
...What the hell, Cambria never talked this much. Or, when she did, she was always doing such a good job being friendly with the customers. He probably looked like it was his first day here.
He was panicking a little and hoped he didn't look as flustered as he felt. He loved this business, but he wasn't a very good face for it. "Um. Yeah, so, what can I get you?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:19 pm
“I’ll take the soup and the grilled cheese, it all sounds wonderful, and I’ll take a coke too, if that’s all right.” Her eyes were on the menu once more and Karone finally glanced at Evan, her eyes growing wide for a moment. “You...Coo-you’re...ah...you’re the co-cook? I’ve ah...It’s cold! I’m so sorry, busy day of shopping, you know.”
She felt like an utter and absolute idiot, and rubbed her face with her free hand before withdrawing her wallet, fingers trembling slightly. “...I...I like cheese, that...ah. I mean the truck...ahah…”
It wasn’t like Karone to be so off kilter, but this...this was Cookie. Looking well and healthy and running a food truck. Or working at a food truck...but...he was a cook so...she assumed that he was cooking.
Oh. She hoped that he was the one who had done the cooking.
“...Do you have anything else? I’m starving, to be honest...if not, I’m fine with the sandwich and soup!”
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Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 6:22 am
Evan peered at the lack of a line behind her and back at her; Cambria was nowhere in sight, but he figured he could manage a bit of socialization and cooking.
"Have you tried our cheesy fries?" he asked; Cambria made it sound so easy to propose things off the menu, like she could read what people wanted to eat.
A thunk on the roof made him go rigid and he tensed, looking up like he expected a deer to fall off. There was nothing.
They were parked near a tree that kept dropping snow on them. He knew it was snow. Not a deer. A deer would be ridiculous.
He looked back to Karone. "Um. They're not like, frozen and pulled out of a bag. I mean, I did freeze them, but I cut the potatoes myself, so they've got my special seasoning. But I'd just throw them in the deep fryer for a few minutes. There's, um." He pointed to the menu, a few different styles of fries. "I can do bacon fries, Cajun fries, Mexican fries. Normal fries, just covered in cheese. So much cheese. Or not so much cheese, if you want less cheese. I mean. You just have to tell me. I can make it work. Um. But the fries are good. We got an award for them last month."
He didn't know how many times he could say 'um' before he chased her away.
Come on. He knew words.
He had an award for the fries. He could tell people that. It was okay. Eat the fries. Other people liked the fries. She might, too.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 4:22 pm
“I haven’t tried them, no, but I would love to!” Karone looked pleased, watching Evan almost fondly. “Make me whatever! I don’t mind the cost, just...make me something delicious and warm and cheesy. All of those options sound way too good for me to choose one, so please. Surprise me.”
She pulled her wallet from her pocket and moved through the various bills stuck in there, pulling out a fifty and sliding it onto the counter. “This should cover everything plus a good tip for you, I hope. And if not, I can throw a little more in, if you would like.” It wasn’t as though she ever really bought anything anyway. There was no need for new clothes. Most of Karone’s life she was powered up...there was no need for food, sure she liked getting food but there was plenty to eat in Negaspace...no, her money right now was simply paper existing in the strange space where her clothes and things went as she moved around being powered.
Cookie though. He could use it. He could use it since he had a business. It made her feel kind of good knowing that perhaps the money would make him happy.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 4:32 pm
Evan immediately looked a little flustered at the bill on the counter. "Are--are you sure? It's definitely not this much," he said, and though he was worried, he seemed suddenly more invested in getting her food than he was her money. He used a paperweight to leave the bill on the counter as he disappeared into the kitchen of the truck. He was gone for less than a minute and returned with a bowl of warm soup and a perfectly wrapped sandwich.
"Everything is recyclable," he said, passing it over. If you eat here, there's a recycling bin at the end of the truck, we take it and recycle. I mean, you don't have to, but. It's worth a little extra to keep the world a little greener. Um. Yeah, sorry," he shook his head and quickly shuffled off, returning with a paper bag full of three more biodegradable containers. "I--I threw in all of the fries, so you can try them all and tell me what you like. I can cook more of anything, honestly. Do you want more? I can throw in a few more sandwiches if you like them. Take them home for dinner, they heat up really well, even if you just throw them in the microwave. And more soup. Do you want more soup?" he asked, sounding excited--almost hopeful, but he hesitated where he stood, waiting for her to try the food first.
He was chewing on the inside of his cheek, discreetly pulling at a hair tie on his wrist as he watched and waited--obviously, for her approval, or any indication that the food was up to her standards.
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 5:27 pm
Karone’s eyes lit up. “Seriously? Thank you so much! I’m excited to try it all...I...I’ll take whatever, this is,” She was unwrapping the sandwich as she talked, her stomach growling loudly enough for them both to hear. “Oh my god this looks amazing.” Taking a bite was clearly Karone’s first priority, and when she did, she gave a happy contented sigh. “...Oh…hell yeah I want some more of these to take home with me, this is the best sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. No joke.”
It was so good that being a Youma for a while clearly didn’t hamper one’s cooking skills...and Karone smiled at Evan gratefully, taking another bite of the sandwich before putting it on the counter and opening the fries, trying one and nodding. “Oh, damn these are good too! You cut them yourself? How do you get them so crisp? God, I can’t wait to try the soup...I feel like i”m going to get so fat after finding this place, but it’ll be so worth it!”
For a moment, she felt almost protective over him, over Cookie. It had been her fault that he had been turned into a youma...and she was happy that he had been turned back…
Now that she knew where he was...she could make sure that he was still doing okay. “I like the idea of that too, that everything is recyclable, that’s amazing. You do good work, kid.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 5:46 pm
Evan breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't spit it back out; part of the reason why he stayed in the kitchen was because he couldn't bare the criticism if someone didn't like his cooking--but, maybe, if the responses were like this he could handle working up front a little more often too.
He looked nervous, but it eased off of his face and his cheeks colored just slightly at the praise.
"Um. Thank you," he said, and even managed a smile. "Let me get you--let me get you some more," he said, and disappeared into the back, almost mouse like in how he scurried.
...The faster he sold these last few, the faster he could go home, so he hurried and grabbed three more of the grilled cheese sandwiches, wrapped them up with extra aluminum foil, and carefully dropped them in the bag.
"I try to have a special every other week. I like to try new things to add to the menu. Um. Not everything is always available here, but we have a website." He reached for a card and sheepishly passed it over. "It's--it's still a work in progress, but you can contact us if you want something special. We take requests and have themed days based on it. And if you've got a catering event or something, um. Well--we're trying it. It's still--this is all still pretty new to me. But so far it's going well!"
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 6:06 pm
When he was gone, she slid another bill from her wallet, a twenty this time and stuffed it into the tip jar, glad that Cookie couldn’t see her doing it. He would have protested and...that just wouldn’t do at all.
Karone opened the lid of the soup and took a sip, sighing in pure delight. “You’re doing really well for yourself, I’ll have to check out the website and tell my friends to come and visit.”
...Or she would if she had any. She’d let Yu know, of course. He could bring his little tribe but...other than that…
Karone sighed after a moment and slid the card into her back pocket. “I’m glad I found this place. Do you normally stay in the same spot or do you follow your heart and go where the people are? Because if you come here often...I’ll have to do the same!” She grinned and drank the rest of the soup, taking a bite of sandwich while the cheesy taste still lingered.
“...If you do move, I hope that you have a GPS tracker on the website or something so that your rabid fans can find you! What’s been your favorite thing to make so far? You said you do themed menus?”
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 6:13 pm
"Um. Well. We sort of follow my driver's inspiration. Sometimes I get to pick. But I don't usually operate the social media, so I don't always know what's going on or where to go. But once we have a plan we upload it to our pages. Um. Like, the usual things, Email, Facebook, Twitter. I don't know if there are others. I like Instagram because I can take pictures of the food, and that's all I care about. Oh. I mean. And the money. So I can make the food."
He seemed happiest to talk about food and was clearly rocking on his heels a bit while he answered, little smile still in place, "I like to make macaroni and cheese. When I was a kid and wasn't feeling good, my mom would make me the boxed kind, so I always associate it with someone you love taking care of you. So, um. It sounds kind of stupid probably, but. I hope that I can make something that makes people feel like someone cares about them. Because I don't know them, but I do, and I want them to be okay. And I want to make macaroni and cheese that tastes like home and love and safety."
His cheeks were pink and he wasn't looking up because he knew it sounded stupid.
"...So, um. That's. That's my favorite. And grilled cheese, because it's fast."
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 6:47 pm
Oh. Now that was nothing short of adorable.
Karone nodded and smiled at him, her eyes bright and happy for once. “No, I think that’s an amazing thing to want. You care about the food more than anything, and it really does show. It’s delicious and if I didn't know better, I would say that I can taste the love and safety and home in it. It makes me all warm inside, if that counts?”
It had to count for something.
“I’ll have to make an instagram, I don’t have one but if you take pictures of your food...I think that makes me want to get one for sure. It’ll make me hungry and give me a good excuse to come and find this place. You’re an amazing chef, kid. Seriously. You hit your mark for comfort food, without a doubt.”
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 7:05 pm
The praise visibly boosted his self esteem, and any doubt he seemed to have had at the counter seemed to disappear. It was the little things--the way he stood up straighter, the way his shoulders didn't slump inward to make himself seem smaller, the way his eyes lit up, the way he smiled.
"Thank you," he said, and meant it. It wasn't a fake word of appreciation, he was glowing.
"That--that really means a lot. I really appreciate that. You--you made my day with that." With the words, more than the tip, but he wasn't going to complain about money, ever.
"If you ever want anything--I don't care if it's not on the menu, or if it doesn't have cheese, even, shoot us a message. Um--what's your name? I won't forget it. But if you shoot us a message and leave your name, I'll make whatever you want and we can coordinate so you can pick it up. Or we can deliver, we'll work out the details later. I just. That means a lot to me. I want to make you something special, what's your comfort food?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 7:33 pm
Watching him, Karone felt her own mood lifting and the warmth inside of her chest seemed to grow. Ah...but she had missed this. Encouraging people...watching as her words helped to motivate them...it was why she had gone into teaching all those years ago.
...She missed her job. Missed working with the kids, watching them learn new things…
Maybe...maybe next school year she would apply again. They always needed more teachers. But maybe not at Crystal...and she didn’t like the idea of working at Romanos...but...ah. This wasn’t the time to think on it.
Karone watched Evan for another moment and laughed. “My comfort food? I don’t even know...I’m a fan of sushi, but...comfort food...I...really like potato soup? Or, soups in general. They’re warm and kind of like a hug. If that doesn’t sound silly. And my name? I’m Karone. What about you?”
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Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 8:04 pm
"I'm Evan," he introduced, smile still in place. So email us or anything and ask for me. I'll remember Karone. The next time you're having a bad day and need a pick me up, you write. I'll get you potato soup, or something else if I've got the ingredients. I can go out and get them if I've got time. But whatever you want, I'll make it special, for you. I don't know if I can do sushi, that's not really cooking, and I've heard you need special ingredients? But--if it can go in the oven or on top of the stove, I think I can do it. I'm willing to try."
He seemed completely committed to it and completely sincere in the offer.
"Um. Your compliment was really nice and made my day. So the next time you need it, I want to make yours. Please take me up on that offer."
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