14881/Midnight Pie

Midnight Pie
Date of Scene:	09 May 2023
Location:	Joe's Restaurant and Cafe
Synopsis:	Crush runs into Andi while out for a piece if pie, when a couple if idiots try to rob the restaurant. Mania and Crush take care of things and save the pie.
Cast of Characters:	Xiomara Rojas, Andi Benton

---

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Every once in a while when the clock stuck midnight Crush got a craving for pie, but not just any pie, it had to come from Joe's. Tonight was one of those nights. She had managed to finish all her homework and even laid down on her bed, but sleep wasn't something she actually needed, and it was being impossible to fake it. The call was strong.

Redressing, she went out the window, around the school, and onto the street, a pattern of travel she'd taken a million times for her pie cravings. Upon reaching the restaurant, she headed inside without a pause, offered a wave to Jane, the night waitress, and took her usual seat in the booth all the way at the back of the room.

Andi Benton has posed:
Toward another part of the diner, someone sits facing the door. It's really the best way to be aware of anyone coming in. The woman, while not a regular here, is distinct enough to be familiar to one or two of the night waitresses. There have been some pretty late times when Andi Benton has stopped by, often to satisfy a particular craving.

Chocolate.

It's in the form of hot cocoa, cake, even chocolate cream pie. Evidence of a prior meal has already been cleaned up, plates swapped out for what can only be considered dessert, unless it's her main course. Inside, the symbiote can barely contain its excitement.

<<Mania>> This is so good, Andi. Why is it so good? Do they do something special with this chocolate that others do not do elsewhere?
<<Andi>> I don't know. It's just..chocolate. Chocolate is chocolate.
<<Mania>> All this time we have shared a bond, and you still talk about chocolate as if you have never enjoyed its varieties before. It is often even tastier than--
<<Andi>> Don't finish that thought. I already know where you're going with it. This is so you don't crave that as much.

Eyes roll at the internal conversation, then it's interrupted upon the arrival of none other than Xiomara. Blue eyes blink once, then follow her path toward a back booth. "Huh," she says under her breath.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Focused on the concept of pie, even though figuring out which one was still a problem, Crush didn't take the time to notice who else might be in the restaurant. She learned a long time ago it was easier not to look at people who might already being staring at her, the chance of eye contact was too great.

Settling in, she picked up the pie menu as she said, "Hey Jane, coffee to start with and is there a special pie tonight?"

Jane was already getting a cup and filling it with coffee, so was on her way to the booth as she replies, "We got a nice peach pie crumble tonight."

Crush hmmsss softly, moving her hands to make certain Jane can set the coffee on the table and looks up at the middle aged woman. "That'll do, but just a piece. I might have to mix and match tonight."

Clearly Jane knew what the Czarnian was talking about because she nodded and made note on her order pad before walking away. That's when Crush actually looked around the diner and spotted Andi.

"Yo! Andi!" she called out probably too loudly, and waved. "How you doin?"

Andi Benton has posed:
At times, Mania cheats. Aware that little attention is on that side of the diner while Jane is talking to Xiomara, a small tendril begins to schlup off of Andi's shoulder and coalesce into something more like a little caricature of Mania's head and face, almost toony in appearance as its disembodied head snakes over toward the pie to take a chomp out of it that shouldn't be possible with so small a being.

Andi rubs a temple and grunts briefly, but the pleasure of the chocolate is felt through the bond and even her eyes flutter briefly. Just as her name is being called out, that part of the symbiote disappears back from where it'd come, a mental 'mmmmmm' relayed. Fortunately a full view from this angle is blocked.

"..wha? Oh. Hey." She raises a hand for a mildly awkward wave in return, not bothering to do the whole 'who, me?' pretending thing. The place is pretty deserted. "I'm..fine," she answers, keeping it simple.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Without invitation, Crush picks up her coffee cup as she stands and walks over to Andi's table. She doesn't sit down at the smaller woman's place, that would be rude, so she sort of leans against the opposite booth as she takes sip from the cup.

"You come for the pie too?" she asks with a smile, appearing rather happy to see the woman and her 'friend', even if she can't see the 'friend' at this exact moment. "Of the coffee? Jane makes the best mocha coffee, which means she make the best hot cocoa. It's so much more than that Swiss Miss crap, let me tell you."

Andi Benton has posed:
"Been a while," Andi states. Her look hasn't changed much, still primarily goth/punk in style and appearance, piercings, hair and all. "Probably more my fault, though." Her way of explaining her part in not maintaining contact.

Adjusting the fork in hand, she digs it into the partially eaten slice of cake before gesturing to the booth across the table from her. "They have some good stuff, and the mocha isn't bad. Not my first choice, though." She lifts a brow, a questioning look in place even if it's not shared verbally.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
With the gesture Crush slides into the booth and sets the coffee cup on the table. "Hey, life happens," she offers by way of accepting the absence of presence. Her own style hasn't changed at all. Leather pants, half shirt, spiked color, knee-high combat boots, the usual. "I been focusing on work and school, and college plans, and a few others things... so... life happens. Good to see you now though."

Jane carries over the large piece of peach cobbler pie and sets it on the table, offering both girls a smile before heading back to the counter. The door opens and two men enter, neither really stand out in any way, they aren't acting strange, and take seats at the counter.

Crush turns sideways in the booth so her back isn't to the door and picks up the plate with pie on it. "There's ways to make hot cocoa that aren't used to make hot chocolate... and yeah, there's a difference. Ask Jane for the real hot cocoa come time, your "friend" will love it."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi sizes Xiomara up. Yep, much the same as before. In fact, exactly the same down to the last detail. Maybe they both have wardrobes that are essentially unchanged.

"Yeah, still doing stuff like that too, except for school or college. I don't really see the point. A degree isn't going to do anything for me. Why do you want one?" she asks, not so much challenging, but really wondering.

Jane gets a nod of acknowledgement out of Andi, but her attention shifts at least partly to the newcomers. "Oh, is that so?" she asks as far as the cocoa is concerned. A brief bit of /something/ crosses over the whites of her eyes, black in color before it's gone again. Must be the 'friend.'

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Picking up a fork, Crush takes a bite of her cobbler pie thing, then sets the plate back on the table while she chews. With her chance in position she can see most of the place now, which allows her to relax just a little bit.

"I'll answer your question, then you'll have to answer mine," she says, looking to the counter for a moment and the two guys now looking at menus. A slight shrug and she looks back to Andi. "The point to college is individual really, but for me... I wanna learn how to build things as an engineer, and I want to study my own DNA so I can learn about myself, so biologist."

Taking a sip of her coffee, she cants her head a touch, "So why do you think a degree won't do anything for you? What do you plan to do for money as you grow up? I mean I work construction even though I could punch a hole through a tank cause no ones going to pay me for doing the right thing." She sets the coffee cup back down before adding, "Mexican hot cocoa... ask for it."

Another man and woman enter, acting all snuggly and cuddly with one another and slide into the booth nearest the front door.

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton shrugs, picking at what's left of the cake before moving on to the pie. Chocolate and whipped cream. Does it get much better than that? "Maybe I just don't care about 'higher education,'" she says, making finger quotes for the words. "It's not important to me. I'll figure something out. Lots of people make money without having a degree, and what am I going to do? Get myself in debt and still have trouble finding a job that pays well? No thanks."

Just a nod comes after the suggestion of Mexican hot chocolate, then she rolls her eyes and jerks a thumb toward the affectionate pair, miming like she's going to gag. "Check them out," she scoffs, voice low.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Glancing to the couple who sat down and immediately started making out, Crush's nose wrinkles up as she 'blehs' and looks away. She hadn't really gone into her preferences with anyone, mostly because no one has ever been interested in her that way, but watching some guy making out with a girl... stomach churning."They need to get a room," she states with a slight snort, not bothering to be quiet about it, but she adds more quietly, "Don't like guys, don't wanna see em getting lucky."

That said, she returns to the other topic to avoid having to say anything more about the snuggly couple. "Your talkin bout student loans, right? Yeah, I hear they can be a bitch... but hey, maybe you can do what Mr. Stadler suggested to me and start with some community college? Either way, if you don't really want any more education, and need any help, ask. I used to have troubles with money, I don't no more so I can help."

The two men at the counter place their orders, coffee and the specialty burger with steak fries. And as Jane goes to take the orders from the snogging couple, one of the guys at the counter sort of stands up to look toward the back, trying to determine if there is anyone else in the place.

Andi Benton has posed:
"Like anyone else wants to see them doing that in public," Andi mutters, enough for Xiomara to hear but nobody else. She squints at the one across from her at the part about guys and them getting lucky, leading to a shrug. "Doesn't matter to me who likes who. It's not my business."

The topic of money for college, loans, and just money in general leads to another nod. "Yeah, maybe. But like I said, that would mean me wanting to bother with it. And if you're doing some stuff, you know, under the table or whatever, that's also not my business."

But then, she makes eye contact with Xiomara and indicates the man peering around. Voice drops to a whisper. "Tell me that doesn't look suspicious as hell. I've seen someone trying to case a place before."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Crush was content to ignore the two at the counter right up until the one did the whole stand up and look around thing. Andi was right, it was suspicious as hell and it made the hair on the back of the Czarnian's neck stand up.

"That's sus alright," she whispers, already turning herself in the booth to sit correctly and moving closer to the end.

The two making out seem to stall Jane by not stopping, but holding up a 'one sec' finger to keep her there, then tapping the menu and holding up the finger again. Honestly it's like none of them even bothered to notice the other two sitting there.

The next few things all happen at the same moment making it all look perfectly planned out. The male in the make out couple let's go of the female, goes over the table and grabs Jane. The female is out of the booth and to the door to lock in in that same moment. At the counter, one of the men goes over it toward the cash register as the other spins around with a gun in his hand and announces, "No one move and no one gets hurt!"

Andi Benton has posed:
"Yeah. Get ready," Andi says, though the next few moments seem to take place in slow motion for her, maybe for Xiomara a well. The kissyface couple reveal their part of the ruse, which to be fair, comes as enough of a surprise that there's another audible 'Huh' from Andi along with, "Didn't see that coming." Yet, she seems calm about this.

She also sinks low in the booth, to the point her head disappears beneath the level of the table. Xiomara might notice the faint sound and sensation of something changing, as Andi lets her 'friend' out to cover her up. Mania remains crouched, and her voice reaches Xiomara's ears with that familiar duality to it, human and something else. "How do you want to play this? We cannot allow them to hurt anyone."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Tensing up, Crush is prepared for what might happen, or at least she thought she was. She didn't expect the make out couple to be a part of it, nor for the guy to grab Jane. Jane, who worked two jobs to pay for her husband's medical expenses, and who's oldest daughter got a full scholarship to Princeton. Crush knew these things because she had talked to the woman numerous times, late at night. That these people would come in and threat danger to a hard working woman made the Czarnian angry. She doesn't move from the booth, she sits there tense, plotting.

"Don't care if they take the money," she breaths out in a low, low tone. "But if they hurt Jane, I'll murder them all. Can you separate that guy from her, protect her? I'll take out the two at the counter."

The girl at the door pulls out a gun as well, though she's not looking at anyone specific, she's actually focusing her attention outside the door. "Pick up the pace guys," she warns.

Andi Benton has posed:
"Yes. And we will give you a little help." Mania repositions herself so she can get her hands out enough to face the robbers. That's all she needs, with the unique nature of how the symbiote's awareness - or 'sight' - works.

First, there's a targeted blob of webbing that's sent off toward the face of the man brandishing the gun. That's one hand. The other extends in an elongated tendril that clips the one holding Jane across the side of his face, immediately expanding out like a snake's jaw to come down over his head and cut off his air, sight, and more. Immediately he yelps and goes for his face, releasing his captive.

At this point, the source of the retaliation can be seen as Mania rises up from behind the booth, a hellish creature of black and white, eyes narrowed to angry slits. "You made a mistake. You have a chance to surrender on your own, or we will make you."

You're up, Xiomara.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Surrender never crossed Crash's mind, her only interest was in protecting Jane. This situation however, was the first time after all the months of training, that there was action required that wouldn't kill a human by punching them.

The woman with the gun was Crush's primary target, and in the same moment that Mania is shooting webs, the Czarnian jumps from the booth to land by the woman and simply yanks the gun from her hand.

And she crushes the gun in her hand and says, "Sit down and shut up now, or someone will get hurt," she's already turning to grab Jane and leap with the woman to the back of the restaurant. Sure, there's still one guy behind the counter, but he was the go-to guy, he wouldn't be armed.

The guy at the counter with the gun screams as the webbing hits his face, he totally hadn't expected any resistance, none of them did. Thankfully he didn't didn't have to see the six foot four brick wall jumping around, but the woman, she screamed and dropped to the floor as instructed because let's face it... that would be some scary shit to have happen.

Andi Benton has posed:
What Mania may lack in size and stature compared to Crush - or Venom for that matter - she makes up for in the ability to present an image of the kind of thing you don't want to come face to face with in a dark alley or much of anywhere else.

Where the mouth ought to be, a thin line forms as a precursor to rows of long, needle-like teeth and a tongue that looks more like a serpent compared to what others are used to. When she speaks again, the sound of her voice alone is menacing as she advances closer, taking only brief notice of Xiomara making her quick move to disarm the woman and destroy her gun.

Mania's next move is to simply yank the other gun from the hand of the one she webbed. He's got other things to deal with, anyway. The one behind the counter seems frozen for the moment. "Have a seat," she says, and it's anything but cordial or polite. Neither is the way she yanks both of the ones she focused on first, planting them both roughly in the nearest booth, one atop the other, before she begins to web them to each other, the table, and the booth itself. "Do not go anywhere." Her attention snaps toward the would-be bag man. "Your turn. Do not make us say it twice."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Landing near the door to the kitchen, Crush kicks it open to Jane can run through it then she turns back toward the room. She really wants to punch something, but thus far Mania's presence has scared the shit out of them and made them cooperate.

Knowing Jane was now safe, and the cooks in the kitchen were safe, her attention went to the bag man. Jumping from current spot to behind him she growls, "Sit down." which causes him to scream like a teenaged girl and drop to his ass. It was just all too much for him to handle.

Both guys with webbing are still trying to get it off their faces, even though they are on top of each other in another location, they didn't seem to even really take notice of being moved.

The girl stays on the floor by the front door, rocking in place and crying, "Should have listened to me morons, never try to rob something near the High School... but nooooo, you all thought it would work... morons. We're going to jail."

Andi Benton has posed:
By now, the 'hood' of whatever was made by the symbiote has been withdrawn from the one who'd grabbed Jane. Mania isn't looking to kill anyone. These losers aren't even a challenge, now that they've lost the upper hand. Their element of surprise has been outweighed by the response. "You all should have stayed home. And you, shut up." For the woman bawling and babbling on, Mania crouches before her and gives a smile that could scare the stripes off a zebra.

"Or we might treat you like chocolate." Instead of giving her a chance to respond or wonder what that means, another bit of webbing is used to effectively gag her, then Mania rises back to her feet and makes like she's wiping her hands free of the whole thing. "Trying to rob a place in Happy Harbor. She is right about that. Stupid. And you will be going to jail." She hops up on the counter, toothy mouth sealing back over again, and a fist bump is offered in Crush's direction. "We can tell you want to hit something. We will find a safer thing after this."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
The girl by the front door screamed as Mania moved in and grinned, was gagged by webbing and promptly passed out. She had been right about Happy Harbor and jail because even as her body crumpled to the floor, the sound of sirens in the distance could be heard.

Crush accepts the fist bump, working to reign in the energy that leads to the desire to punch something through a wall. She was getting better at it, day by day she was finding ways to keep the Czarnian temper she inherited from her sperm donor in check.

"Don't worry bout me," she offered to Mania with a grin, then picked the bag man up under one arm, hopped over the counter and walked over to unlock the front door and pick up the now passed out female. Both of her 'charges' are set in the booth with their counter parts.

"Fuckers are way stupid trying anything in Happy Harbor," she offered to them, leaning against the booth seat. "Jail time or not, I'll remember your faces."

Andi Benton has posed:
Mania's punk nature shows up even now, in the form of a spiky appearance in places, including a belt, forearms, and shins, not to mention clunky footwear. She glowers at the scene before them, and from somewhere within a handful of money is produced to place atop the counter. "We had not paid yet." Nevermind the probability the place would offer to comp their meals after this, and who knows how many more later on.

"The police are on their way and we do not like talking to them. Those webs will go away in a few minutes." An exaggerated lift of one eye again asks Crush how she'd like to handle this: stay and wait, or leave with Mania?

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Crush takes a moment to look Mania over, the appearance that was chosen and a broad smile spreads across her face. There was something amazing about seeing Mania in full form and knowing Andi was still there.

"I got this," she then says in answer to how to handle it. "I'll take care of the bills and the police, then come by your place later tonight? If that's okay. Gotta celebrate after all, right?"

Andi Benton has posed:
There's a moment of hesitation, no matter the way Xiomara is looking at Mania in all her..whatever it is.

"Pick another place?" Voice grows hushed, quiet, like she doesn't want anyone else to overhear. "Our..father is asleep. We do not want to wake him." There's a reason for being cautious. All this time, the secret has managed to be kept about Andi's dual life, no matter what her dad experienced back when she first bonded with the symbiote.

"We can meet you anywhere," is offered.

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
The sirens were getting closer so Crush just blurted out, "My dorm room... window's open, you can mistake it for anyone elses." She then gives Mania the exact dorm number in case they choos to go through the front door.

She notes the reaction to the way she looks at Mania, so she turns her attention away as she saysm "Don't wanna wake your dad, know how important that is." She did remember Andi telling her he doesn't know anything, and remembered being invited there once when things were more... normal, not that Xiomara is ever normal.

"You better get outta here, before they arrive, I got this, no problems."

Andi Benton has posed:
There is a single nod, Mania wasting no time in going to the front door. "Soon, then." She's on her way out, ducking around a corner. Moments later, Xiomara might just catch sight of Andi walking off in a direction away from the flashing lights, hands stuffed in the pockets of her hoodie as police converge on the diner soon afterward.