13218/Post-Gauntlet Plant Snacks

Post-Gauntlet Plant Snacks
Date of Scene:	30 October 2022
Location:	Planted Evidence, Gotham City
Synopsis:	Phoebe, Austin and Tim eat at Planted Evidence, a vegetarian/vegan 'fancy casual' gastropub with a crime theme.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Austin Reese, Tim Drake

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Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Planted Evidence is one of those restaurants that usually has a waiting time of five hours or some other ridiculous time period if you don't get right in when it opens.

    Fortunately, when you can flash a black credit card with Wayne on it, you can get into the restaurant pretty quickly.

    The other nice thing is that they have the nice, high boothbacks so that you can have a decent conversation without broadcasting everything everywhere.

    Phoebe had a quick-change, and was now wearing a designer denim jacket over ripped jeans and a black T-shirt promoting the Van Dyne fashion house and was wearing orange glasses and a hair-wrap as she looks over the menu.

    "Vegan Foie Gras -- that... is literally an impossibility. What do they even make 'fake duck liver' out of?"

Austin Reese has posed:
Now Austin was not a vegetarian, or vegan, or anything close to that. But even he realized that if you ate at Big Belly Burger every single night after patrol, it's that many more reps you'd have to do the next morning at the gym. So he didn't have any pushback to Phoebe's suggestion.

He had met her back near an alley not far from the entrance, wearing a black leather jacket with a grey hoodie underneath, the weather had been getting progressively worse, what with it being Gotham and all.

"I mean I have to assume the real issue would be getting the flavor and texture right, rather than specifically making it out of something or other." He hmms. He's still not super comfortable around all the fancy Wayne stuff.

"I do want to try something other than just a burger, so lets see.." He hmms, musing to himself as he reads through the menu, "Yikes." He just read one of the prices. Wayne card or not, he still can't believe how expensive this stuff is.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "What's wrong with just making vegetarian food? I grew up eating vegetarian food. It's good." she mutters, the blue-collar-raised Beacon giving a small sigh, and she looks over to Austin.

    "I had the hummus last time. They make it fresh in the morning so it has time for all the flavors to mingle. They had a pancake special, but I don't see it on here." Phoebe adjusts her glasses a moment, and then looks over to Austin and adds, with embarrassment:

    Yeah, I had sticker shock the first time too." Phoebe states, "... like when I saw what I had to wear to Bruce Wayne's birthday party and the pricetag on it. More than the GDP of some countries!" she whispers.

Austin Reese has posed:
"It's so much worse for you. Every time I have to go to one of those it's a tuxedo. Nobody cares which tuxedo I'm wearing." Though the fact that he has done his best to keep a pretty low profile in those kinds of events has probably had the opposite effect, with people wanting to know about this mysterious new Wayne scion.

"That does sound pretty good, but I'm curious to try their plant based stuff that tastes like other things." At the very least he's getting something that has fake bacon, or fakeon if you will, in it.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "It is *so much worse*. Heels. Hair. Make up. And before I was a Wayne I was a high-profile kidnapping victim, and before that a high-profile abandoned child." Phoebe laments, and then puts her face behind her menu.

    "That's one of the reasons why I loved New York City. I could be anonymous there." she breathed out in amusement.

    "Did I tell you I almost punched Janet Van Dyne off the roof of the mansion for insulting Alfred?"

Austin Reese has posed:
"No you did not tell me that. When did that happen?" He wonders, "I know I haven't been around the mansion a ton lately, been busy with stuff back in the city proper. You know how it is, right?" He knows she does, it's a rhetorical question more than anything else.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Bruce's birthday party. I shoulda just played mute and smiled pretty for the cameras." Phoebe shakes her head slightly, "But had to open my mouth. It's OK. She had to work to rile me up after I went to go cool off on the roof. Heels definitely don't make scaling the building easier." Phoeb picks up the fancy ordering tablet. "For your edification." Phoebe gives a smile, punching in her drink order and some potato croquettes. She felt the need to carbload.

    "I know exactly how it is. You're staying safe though, right?"

Austin Reese has posed:
"Of course. Just keeping tabs on some folks I promised I'd keep tabs on back in the day, before Bruce picked up on me." He takes the tablet after Phoebe finishes ordering, getting his own order plugged in. A BLT with the fake bacon, a drink to go with it, and that hummus that Phoebe had suggested as an appetizer, "It's still weird, I'll admit." After he puts the tablet down, "Having a place like the manor to live in."

Tim Drake has posed:
    The way that Tim eases himself down into an empty seat at the table is particularly Bruce-like. If he's ever out in public and needing to schmooze, copying the way Batman puts on a social persona is always a safe bet, and he's been doing the aforementioned socializing at a private table in the back for the past hour and a half.

    "Investors," he announces with a roll of his eyes, apparently as explanation of why he is now here, holding up a menu so that it blocks his face fully as a group of overdressed WASPs make their way to the front.

    It's only once they've left the building that Tim lets the menu drop, and then he sweeps a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face. "Hi," he says, now much more Tim-like. Phoebe gets a knee knocked lightly against hers, under the table. Austin gets a chin-nod. "We can put surveillance in place to help with your tabs, if you want."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "At least I'm out of Tim's basement." Phoebe jokes as Tim joins them. Her knee knocks back against his, bouncing a little bit. As Tim raises his menu, she lowers hers so that she's far more noticable, and she watches as they make their way through. "Idu uses the bed way more than I do anyway. Between classes, other classes, practice, going out on runs," patrols "... gets busy. Don't even have time to cause trouble for anyone this week." she smiles, and then she tilts her head forward, making sure all the women were gone before she leans back and whispers "Clear."

    "Unless they give you baked goods."

Austin Reese has posed:
"That's probably not the worst idea." Austin replies to Tim, after he sits down. Austin rubs at his shoulder a little bit, rolling it slightly as he sits back in the chair, "How've you been, Tim? Other than dealing with the suits." He asks, as he glances back over his shoulder at said suits that have now exited the resturant.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "The whole point of renovating that building was having room for everyone." Tim cups his chin in his palm, eyes slanted downwards as he browses the menu. Chances are he wasn't really able to enjoy any of the food here while he was busy playing socialite. After only a moment or two of deliberation, he snags the tablet to tap in a few items in addition to Phoebe and Austin's order.

    Satisfied with his choices, Tim leans back in his chair. "As if any one of them has ever used their million dollar renovated kitchens," he says.

    Which, admittedly, was kind of a pot-kettle situation up until maybe six months ago when Tim finally learned how to make more than stir fry and overnight oats. Now he can scramble eggs, too!

    Instead of following up on potentially dangerous-to-share-in-public information, he tables the surveillance discussion (with a mental note to follow up later) and instead answers Austin with, "Busy, but good. How about you?"

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe gives a smile. "None of them do, they all have maids and cooks that do that for them." she points out, "Not a one of them could drop a chippie basket or properly turnover." she mutters.

    "And I know for a fact one of them has a *two* million dollar kitchen. It was in the Gotham Herald. Wanted everyone to know." she states with a small smile.

    "Okay, now I'm wondering, do you know how they make fake foie gras? Austin and I were talking about it earlier. I think it's a mushroom gelatin."

Austin Reese has posed:
There's a roll of his eyes from Austin as he hears the price of that kitchen, "Just thinking about how much Halloween candy or Thanksgiving meals that one kitchen could actually buy."

He has no idea why his brain went to holidays. Maybe because Halloween (and his birthday) are right around the corner, "I was telling her it didn't matter what material it was as long as it matched the taste, but I think it's probably a pureed kale."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim does seem to take the time to ponder the question, eyebrows drawing together as he consults his mental rolodex of recipes he in no way has the skill to pull off. "Probably something like cashews or coconut oil for the base, but after that it could be anything. Rich, fatty flavors aren't that hard to replicate with vegan ingredients any more."

    Then he pulls out his phone and taps out a text. "I'll ask Lonnie, but he might just textually lecture me about the excess of the bourgeoisie," he says, with a quirk of a smile pulling up one corner of his mouth. He places his phone screen-down on the table afterward and folds his arms, apparently uncaring of table manners. Hardly a social faux pas in the grand scheme of the Waynes.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "How /is/ Lonnie doing? I haven't seen him since that thing with the nuts." Phoebe gives a slight smile over to Tim, and then a rueful smile to Austin.

    "Pureed kale would give it a green color, if it's trying to imitate foie gras it'd have to be grey. Which they can pull off yeah, but it'd have to be tagged for 'contains nuts'. Which it's not." Phoeb gives a wry smile. Investigative skills at work.

    The drink orders come through. Phoebe, predictably, has a 'lemon-lime sweetened seltzer' (it's Sprite).

    "Oh, also, there is an order for a heated duck house and a request for re-enforcement of the roof due to a possible duck pond addition, but I might move Hazelduck to the barn on the Wayne estate."

Austin Reese has posed:
"I suppose we could wait until the place closes and then break into the back and find where they keep the recipes." Austin says in a tone that is clearly joking but Phoebe and Tim know full well that it actually could be a serious suggestion.

His drink is just a soda, or the menu described it as a 'cafinated caramel colored beverage'. He assumed it would have said something about diet if it was.

"Lonnie?" Austin finally asks. He apparently hasn't had the chance to meet Lonnie yet.

Tim Drake has posed:
    "He's doing okay. Holidays are coming up, so," and then instead of answering Tim just shrugs. He sips his drink, which is actually just still water (but probably cost at least $5) while idly scanning the restaurant. His attention moves from one exit to the next, and then he leans back in his chair, both eyebrows raising as he looks to Austin. "There's a drop-ceiling in the bathroom."

    No. No, they're not going to break into this restaurant after hours. Tim's too much of a goody two-shoes, but that doesn't mean he doesn't sometimes entertain terrible ideas. "And I know for a fact there aren't any cameras covering the side entrance," he adds.

    The mention of expenses barely earns a reaction from Tim. He has a budget for these sorts of things. "Damian would love that," he notes, though. No particular preference either way on his part. And then to Austin's question, Tim answers with, "My boyfriend. I'd say you'll probably meet him at the next family dinner but there's no way that's happening. It'd be pretty funny if it did, though."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Their back security code is still set to one two three four five because one of the owners keeps forgetting it; there's another keycode entry at the side entrance for the waitstaff and curbside. I bet you his office is unlocked too." Phoebe remarks as she scrolls on her phone in consideration.

    No, no she's not entertaining breaking in and finding out what Faux Graux is.

    "Lonnie is quite possibly the only person I know smarter than Tim." Phoebe reflects, "Definitely has a heart, and he's a nice enough guy. Still gonna steal his kneebaps if he hurts our Tim."

    She levels a joking look over to Tim, her nose wrinkling a moment.

    "Same goes really for any significant other who hurts someone in my family. Kneebaps. All lined up on my desk."

Austin Reese has posed:
"Ohhh, neat. I'll definitely have to meet him." Austin replies, though the mention of not being able to do it at a family dinner does get his interest. He assumes eventually things will make sense.

"The manager has the password to the computer on a sticky note on the monitor, too. But then again this isn't exactly S.T.A.R. Labs, now is it? Even if cooking is a science."

"Does Lonnie also have a night life, is that how you're making it work?" He can't imagine trying to have a relationship in this line of work, let alone with someone who also wasn't aware of their activity.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim suddenly bursts into a bout of laughter that he has to stifle via clamping a hand over his mouth. It takes several moments before his shoulders stop shaking, enough for him to stumble over his words in saying, "I'm just imagining what anyone listening in on this conversation would be thinking. *Super* healthy that we case every building we enter."

    He's managed to compose himself (mostly) after, and he nods in agreement to Phoebe's assertion of Lonnie's intelligence while doing the same knee-knock thing to her under the table. The mention of night life, though, has Tim pausing. It's only after a few seconds that he gives an affirming nod. "Yeah. Our paths don't cross all that often, but we both tend to value our alone time so it's not a big deal." There are, of course, many things being left unsaid here, given their present location. "Learned my lesson about dating someone you work closely with, and it, uh, wasn't pretty. So I'm not making that mistake again."

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Or, instead of planning a caper, you can ask for a sampling." the server suggests, bringing the hummus and croquettes and, indeed, the Faux with some toasted rustic baugette slices and a little spoon. "Complements of the management. And Mr. Drake is correct -- it's Cashew base." The server gives a smile.

    Phoebe is just trying not to laugh herself, just the utter lunacy of the conversations for anyone who has no context -- but she purses out in a snort followed by a laughing hiccup as she hides her face behind the ordering tablet.