11861/Burning the Midnight Oil

Burning the Midnight Oil
Date of Scene:	03 July 2022
Location:	The Velvet Room - Sitting Room
Synopsis:	Dex and Gabby enjoy a BLT and some light conversation, but one of them's been awake for days. Find out which!
Cast of Characters:	Dex Alruin, Gabby Kinney

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Dex Alruin has posed:
    There was a time, when he had first arrived, that Dex had found the overwhelming blue of the Velvet Room unsettling. He tended toward more muted colors for surroundings, and most of his own lighting projects leaned toward red. However, as he began his Babel project, which was what he was calling his universal translator, the room's surrounding had begun to grow on him. And so here he is, various bits of metal, wire, chips, and tech scattered across a table as he types into a laptop. His brown eyes are nearly hidden behind the reflection of code on his glasses, and a soft, soothing tune currently plays softly on the piano. He pushes his glasses back up his nose, fingers on his left hand blurring as they type, his right hand soldering a chip onto a small board. He sets the soldering gun back into its holder as he turns his focus completely on the screen, cursing lightly as he does.

    "Damnit all," he says, "These words are starting to blur together. How can anyone possibly need to speak Latin in this day and age?" He growls lightly in his throat, then leans back in his chair and sighs, staring at the ceiling. "Maybe I should've picked a smaller project for my first." He glances over at his Proto-Shot, then blinks and checks his watch. Midnight? Already? Hadn't it been 8 AM just a few minutes ago? He removes his glasses, then stands up and moves toward the bar. If he was going to keep going, he'd need something strong.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
The day had been long indeed for Gabby as well, though hers was more about facing down Clayface in a shopping district jewelry store. That had ended as well as it could at least but she was left tired. Tired, and unsure of where to go from there. The key to the Velvet Room worked on any door though so she uses it to come to the peace of this particular little sanctum in the astral plane.

A trip to the VR bar was on her mind as well as she comes through wearing a flowy skirt and tanktop to make up for the clothes she'd lost earlier in the fight. Spotting Dex she grins, and offers, "Hey! Been ages, how're you doing?" A quick glance over at his work station tells her he was busy though. "Anything good back there? I could go for a BLT and Coke about now."

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex blinks as someone else enters the room, offering a smile at Gabby as she makes herself known. "Has it really? Sorry about that... I tend to get involved in my projects and kind of... fall off the map. How long has it been?" He gives her a look that may make her wonder if he's joking, but the red in his eyes would say that the question is genuine. As he rummages around behind the bar, he chuckles and begins pulling out ingredients and a couple of cans of Coke. He slides one down the bar, then gives her a proper look, blinking a few times then looking down. His button-up red shirt is rumpled and wrinkled, as are his black jeans. He feels a bit.. frumpy all of a sudden.

    "Just a normal BLT?" he asks, shaking his head and moving to wash his hands after running one through his hair, which has clearly been pushed back quite a bit in this fashion given how it stays in position. "I think there might be some eggs if you want a breakfast variant, though around here I wonder if those are normal eggs."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"I dunno. Couple of weeks?" Gabby actually has to stop and consider just how long it had been. It had been awhile. "Since I first brought Hanako in and we were trying to communicate with her, I think." Offering a grin she reaches out to grab the Coke slid her way with a quick, "Thanks." She sidles up to the bar hopping up onto a stool to sit with her feet hanging just a bit off the floor. There was nothing she could do about her height at her age that didn't require heels.

"There are other types of BLTs? Just bacon lettuce and tomato isn't it?" The Coke is cracked open to take a sip while he glances her over. "Oh, egg wouldn't be bad I guess. I'll try anything once. Not like it'll kill me. And don't worry about the outfit," she assures with a little swish of her skirt as her foot swings. A sheepish grin creeps over her as she adimts, "I was out shopping and got in a fight so had to snag something to wear that wasn't ruined. This isn't my normal thing. ... Though I did want a change of pace... Anyway."

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex pauses briefly as he searches for a pan, looking back at his comrade in confusion. "That was weeks ago?" he says, shaking his head, "Oh man... I've been struggling with this project more than I thought..." He puts his Coke back in the fridge, then pulls out an energy drink instead, cracking it open and, without so much as a break in stride as he slides the pan onto the cooktop, drains the can and chucks the can into the bin. "Enough about that, though," he says, his voice injected with cheer. "She has a name now, huh? When did you learn that?" he asks, grabbing a knife for prep and opening a slab of bacon. As the pan begins to heat up, he begins cutting up some lettuce.

    "There's all sorts of ways to get creative with a BLT," he says, "Add some cheese, swap the bacon for some pancetta or pork belly, or in this case add a nice fried egg for some extra protein and flavor." He offers a grin, then nods. "One BELT, coming up!". He sets to work on the tomato, then sets the bacon to cooking as he toasts some bread and listens to Gabby talk about her day, looking up as she mentions a fight. "Looks like you won that, huh?" he says, "Who were you up against, if you don't mind me asking?" The room is soon filled with the smell of frying bacon, and Dex reaches into the fridge again, tempted by the sight of another energy drink but instead pulling out a bottle of water. He gives a long yawn, then stretches and bounces a bit on his feet, the bacon sizzling seeming to bring some life into his pallid features.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Ah, awhile ago. My sister, Rien, can speak Japanese. Apparently most of my family can but me." Gabby glances over toward the couches where the doll sits pillowed up still, though some things have changed around her. There's a little side table on the far side of the couch near where she's situated that seems to have a little bowl with incense sticks in it now, as well as candles on each side. A small shrine so to speak and currently there's a little plate with candies on it in offering.

"Yeah, her name is Hanako. She remembered being outside playing in the snow then getting really tired--So we figure that's why she wants to be warm, if that's how she died. I got a card game called hanafuda I play with her sometimes, and bring treats or food to offer like you would at a shrine for the dead. Apparently she gets it somehow so she's been doing better. No more outbursts at least."

When Dex starts to get a pan to cook she looks a little surprised at it all. Leaning forward ontop of the bar she rises up on her stool to watch him with interest and a slight grin. "Clayface and some girl he was with that can throw energy blasts like bombs. Reminds me of someone I know. I didn't really fight him so much as run and lead him on a chase to get away from anyone that could be hurt. Hard fighting someone made of moldable *stuff*."

"I didn't realize you were gonna actually cook for me," she finally blurts out watching as he tries to stay awake. "Thank you."

Dex Alruin has posed:
    The young man flips the bacon in the pan, letting the other side fry up as he listens. "I'm certainly glad to hear that, though I am a bit sad that she's.. you know, stuck like that. But I suppose as long as she's comfortable and somewhat happy, that's good enough. I'm glad we've learned more about her." He smiles again, glancing over at Hanako's pillow nook with a sense of warmth flowing through him. It did his heart good to hear that progress was made with the little girl in the doll, and it renewed his resolve to help this group in their endeavors. He glances back as his work, then returns attention to his current project: BELTs. He works with a practiced grace despite the apparently exhaustion in his movements, sliding the bacon onto a paper-toweled plate to allow it to crisp as he cracks a couple of eggs into the still-sizzling pan.

    Sounds dangerous," he says, reminded of his night at the Stark Expo years ago and trying to imagine Gabby's encounter without success. He spreads some mayo out on the toast, then begins to assemble a sandwich for each of them. Right as he gets to the bacon and eggs, the eggs are ready to slide out of the pan and he finishes up, drying his hands on a towel and shutting off the heat. "Can't imagine that was pretty. Glad to see you're safe," he says, smiling brightly as he sets a plate in front of her, then joins her at the bar, sitting up straight as he chuckles.

    "Cooking is somewhat cathartic for me," he says, "And besides, nothing beats a hot BLT when you want a good sandwich. Could use pre-cooked bacon and a microwave, but the fresh-cooked stuff is always better, yeah?" He lifts his bottle of water in a 'cheers' sort of fashion, then descends upon his sandwich like a ravenous beast. "I haven't eaten since... Today's Tuesday, right?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney settles back on her seat more comfortably while the BELTing is finishing up being cooked though she does steal a glance at Hanako's little area, too. "Yeah, me too. Not everything has to be about destroying things and I think she's a good reminder of that for a lot of us." Maybe that was the point of her getting the doll to begin with. Helping someone out. Sometimes Gabby could be craftier than she let on--Or it could just be total accident.

"A bit. It wasn't like I went out of my way to do it, and I heal just fine, so I'm not worried. Problem is, so does he in his own way. It's a real pain dealing with him." Another grin is offered along with, "Thanks for the concern."

"I never really learned cooking past microwaving or heating premade stuff from frozen. I just tend to eat on the go mostly. Which... probably isn't that healthy for me," something Phoebe had been on her about for years now. The sandwich slid over is accepted with a quick nod and eager hands taking the plate. "This smells great!" And her Coke is raised to respond to that motion before she sets her sights on the sandwich, too. She's just about to take a bite when he asks that question.

"... It's Saturday."

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex rolls his shoulders, taking another bite of sandwich and smiling the smile of culinary relief. "Couldn't say it better myself, though I admit I miss most of the destructive stuff around here. I haven't fired up the Proto-Shot in weeks. I should probably practice when I get a chance..." He seems thoughtful for a long moment, then shrugs. He'd work it out on the ground.

    "Trouble rarely finds us prepared, right?" he asks, chuckling, "You have some sort of healing ability?" He tilts his head at that, then frowns slightly. "I bet that comes in handy. I have to hope I don't get hit. Just a normal guy, though I really hope I can find a way to be useful even so." He smiles again, then shrugs. "Only normal to be concerned about a friend, right?" He takes a drink from his bottle, stifling another yawn as he does so.

    "There's really not all that much to it," he says, "I could teach you a few simple dishes sometime if you like." He chuckles, then blinks as she mentions it's Saturday. "You... You're joking, right? No, it's Tuesday! There's no way it's been... a week?" He looks down at his sandwich, suddenly very aware of how heavy his body feels. "Maybe that's why my code looks like Latin...."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Healing factor, claws, and the inability to feel pain," Gabby lists off all her abilities before taking a bite to chew careful of not spilling any on her new clothes. "Though the last is due to nanomachines and not a born-with ability like the mutant powers."

She listens and watches from the corner of her eye until he seems to realize just how long it has been. Then she reaches out to pat his shoulder lightly. "Nope not joking. I'm gonna have to flex some muscle on you and request you get to sleep ASAP after you finish eating. Even I can't go that long without sleep and not feel the effects. ... Actually I get kind of cranky on day two. The fact you managed THIS long is impressive. But, seriously, you should get some rest after eating."

Dex Alruin has posed:
    The young man offers a brow-quirk at the list of powers, then smirks a bit. "That's an impressive suite, nanomachines or not," he comments, "I always have to wonder if that makes life more difficult... Do you have the weight of expectation when you're born with powers like that?" he asks before he can stop himself, then chokes a bit. "Sorry, forget I asked." He shakes his head, this time a bit more vigorously. He looks down at his sandwich, then works on finishing the last few bites, the loss of days suddenly making him even more ravenous. He finishes it, then blinks a few times, smirking slightly as his vision wavers. "I don't think you'll have to muscle that hard, if I'm honest. Now that's I've slowed down a bit, I'm starting to feel it." He chuckles, shaking his head. "I must look like a disaster..." He laughs a bit, then pushes himself back to his feet, moving back behind the bar. "Just one last thing before I can turn in. Let me know when you're done with that plate." Dex finishes his water, tossing it to the bin with his can as he works on cleaning up the nook and putting away the dishes.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney shakes her head a little bit at that question. Idly she picks at the bacon popping a little fried peice into her mouth. "Oh, no, the way mutants work is ... It's like a growing thing, you know? Usually our abilities don't manifest until puberty. Before that I had nothing much at all." Lifting a hand she points to the old scars on her face. "That's how I have these even though I have a healing factor."

When he goes behind the bar again she polishes off the sandwich quickly in three large bites. It's all chewed while she offers the empty plate over with a little 'hMmm!' to get his attention that it's there. She's forced to grab the Coke to wash everything down with a sigh. "I did need that though. But yeah, get to sleep. You can crash on one of the couches if you don't feel like going far. They're pretty comfy." She watches as he cleans shaking her head in apparent exasperation. "Just go rest! The magic of the room will clean up. Least it always seems to."

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex chuckles, but shakes his head. "If you rely on that all the time, it doesn't show the room and its abilities proper respect!" he says, "And besides, it's just a quirk of mine. Clean up what you cook with, and your tools won't let you down." He takes the plate, washing it and putting it away before making his way back to his table. "Thanks for the head's up," he says after a moment, "I might've kept on trying to solve this code if you hadn't told me how long it's been since I stopped last..." He yawns, closing his laptop and then moving toward the empty couch, slumping almost immediately as he sits. "Ohh..." he says, before he yawns again and, without much pomp, falls over onto the arm of the couch, glasses slipping from his face and to the carpet as his mind and body seemingly shut down.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney watches this collapse of Dex with some concern and amusement. He was in a safe place so it wasn't so concerning, but the fact that it happened? That was. Shaking her head she slips from her seat to head over. The glasses are retreived, folded up, and set safely aside. Then with a sigh she grabs his feet to pull his legs up onto the couch so he's at least stretched out. Satisfied he's not about to roll off and smash his face she reaches back to the top of the couch to tug a folded blanket off and drape it over him. "Get some rest, smarty pants," she jokes to his sleepy form.