16133/Pizza Time

Pizza Time
Date of Scene:	21 October 2023
Location:	Brooklyn
Synopsis:	Wally West and Julia Carpenter meet at a pizza place! They learn about each other, schedule a lunch date, decide it's not ACTUALLY a date, and decide to become the dynamic supertrooper duo: Wally and Jules!
Cast of Characters:	Julia Carpenter, Wally West

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Julia Carpenter has posed:
Angelo's is used to getting large orders. A city that can host multiple Spider-People, Speedsters, and other Others with large appetites means they're used to taking big orders. Oddly, they aren't used to taking multiples of them. People usually try to space things out to not overwhelm their favored places. But it seems Julia hasn't been brought up to speed on the unspoken agreement. Two orders of a dozen pizzas coming in at the same time manages to send the new kid behind the counter into a tizzy!

Both orders are in and being worked on, and Julia arrives at the time given for the pickup, stepping into the pizza parlor and glancing around to locate the counter towards the back. She's dressed down for the weather, fitted t-shirt and jeans, sneakers, a pullover from the University of Colorado (Denver Campus). Long strawberry-blonde hair is pulled into a loose ponytail that drapes along her back to her waist.

"Hey, I'm here for pickup? Carpenter, dozen pizzas?" Offering a smile towards the kid behind the counter, she reaches for her wallet while they call up the order...

Wally West has posed:
When you're fast?

When you own a business?

You get to do multiple things all at the same time. FTL delivery, at your service! Better than UPS, more effective than Amazon, and OH YES, run by your favorite scarlet speedster, the Flash! The master of motion had more than a few stops in Metropolis, delivering things like televisions, play sets, even a whole entertainment center! Don't even ask how he got that thing up the stairs.

But he had a few deliveries in Brooklyn too!

Since he was in the neighborhood, he went aheada nd ordered himself a light lunch: a dozen pizzas! Gotta stay active on that metabolism to keep up and keep active, otherwise he'll get groggy from how much energy it takes his body to run at the speeds it does. So when he enters into Angelo's, instead of being in tights, he's in jeans and a t-shirt, his messy mop of red hair starting to descend down his face a little bit.

He's let it get a little long!

But he finds himself walking (gasp) up to the counter and smiling at one of the tenders. "A dozen pizzas for Wally West? You know, we had a good joke-fest on the phone? Yeah? Haha, yep that's me. How much is the bail?"

Wally fishes for his wallet and he turns to look at Julia as it turns out she ordered the same thing.

"Heeeyy good choice!"

Julia Carpenter has posed:
Letting out a small laugh as Wally calls out for a similar pickup, Julia flashes a quick smile, "Must be a popular place. Good to know the suggestion I got was a good one!" She pays for her pizzas and sidles aside a step or two so Wally can do the same. "Do you keep it simple or go all out? I got six supreme and six all meats... it's been a busy day. Makes for a big appetite." Idle chatter offered while she waits for the pizzas to be brought up front.

Reaching up to tuck a loose lock behind one ear, she leans a hip against the counter, "Any other good takeout places I should know about? I just moved to the city, so I'm still trying to get my bearings, find all the good local places..." She lifts a shrug and smiles, "And anywhere that kids tend to like. My daughter has been wanting to explore the city, so I'm trying to find some kid-friendly places."

Wally West has posed:
"Oh yeah, this place is popping off all the time!" Wally laughs a little bit, giving Julia a playful smirk. "Honestly? I keep it nice and simple. Cheese, pepperoni, or sausage. No mixing! Though there was this one time where I ordered like...the ultimate pizza. It had everything. Even the forbidden pineapple. I think it was legit a gift from God." Wally chuckles a little bit. "Six supreme and six all meets? Dang girl, you're killing it!"

"Well, there's a Chinese place down the way called Sima Wok. I would order a Lo Mein, doesn't matter which kind. Those noodles are-" he makes a 'chef kiss' gesture with his hands against his lip, chuckling a little bit. "You have a daughter? Nice! Plenty of kid friendly places in NYC. Dunno how many of 'em are in Brooklyn though. Are they good at spray painting?"

As she moves out of the way, Wally steps up to pull out his credit card. He doesn't seem to notice her clearing her hair out of her face, but he seems friendly all the same. "But it's a good town all the same. I'm normally down in Metropolis, but work brought me up here."

Julia Carpenter has posed:
"Good to know! Normally we cook at home, but I figured we're in New York, we *have* to get some authentic New York pizza." Julia chuckles, one shoulder lifting into a shrug. She gives a nod, "Normally I would too, but man, I have been craving some hefty meat and veggies all day. Just have to remember to brush after, right? I would hate to go through the rest of the day with onion pizza breath."

Pausing, she clears her throat and offers an embarrassed smile, "And that was oversharing. Sorry." Giving a small nervous laugh, she shoots the kid behind the counter a 'get me out of here please' look. Foot firmly entrenched in mouth!

"Chinese place, Sima Wok. Get the noodles. Got it! Do you know if they do dim sum? I love a good dim sum." Trying to recover, Julia brazens through and grins at mention of her daughter, "Yeah, she's great. Uh, no to the spraypainting, though. She's mostly lived in Colorado and California. So... lots of outdoor sports. Skating, surfing, skiing.. loves Pokemon. She's big on superheroes, too. Has a whole collection of like.. fan-made memorabilia."

Smiling, she nods, "I hear you there. Work can take me all over the place sometimes. I haven't been to Metropolis, though. I hear it's a really nice city."

Wally West has posed:
"If you didn't try the pizza, I would have /literally/ crossed out any kind of souvenir you brought back. Cool fridge magnet? EGH! Gone." He makes a buzzer noise at the 'EGH' part. You know, because the writer doesn't know sound effects! "Hefty meat and veggies keep the motor running!" He pats himself on a tomed stomach. "Speak for yourself. Onion pizza breath gets me out of a LOT of anxious conversations. Gotta chat with your boss about your job performance? Eat a onion pizza and watch 'em run." Wally smirks at her, playful and jovial as always.

"Heh, don't worry about it. If I had a nickel for everytime someone overshared?" He thinks about it. "I'd just have a lot of nickels I think." He starts to snicker before he's stepping aside so other people can place and receive their orders. The kid behind the counter just shrugs!

Julia's on her own!

"Oh yeah, it's great! I don't eat dim sum too often - kinda like sushi, just never really get around to it - but the dim sum is pretty great. Even have some American options in case the little one likes chicken nuggets or somethin'." He offers, though he listens silently as Julia talks about her daughter.

"Hey, sounds like a really cool kid. Though uh...I take it the dad...?" He questions Julia, uncertain about the situation. "Mom?" He asks, just to clarify.

Never hurts to check! Would hate to cause offense by assuming.

"Fan-made memorabilia? Dude, I still have a crushed bullet I collected from some guys who shot at Superman. One of my prized possessions. And Pokemon! Who could hate pokemon?" a bit of amusement there.

"Metorpolis is AMAZING! Best city in the world, don't at me!"

Julia Carpenter has posed:
Julia lets out a warm laugh and gives a nod, "Alright, alright. I'm afraid I can't get out of conversations with my boss no matter what. She's sort of a bear like that. Even if I'm all sweaty and grungy from the last assignment, I still have to show up." She lifts a shrug, "It's good money, I probably shouldn't complain too much. Still, trying to see if I can get into a different branch... pretty sure there's some shady deals going on in the office. I don't want to be a casualty of someone else's wrongdoing, you know?" Office politics!

"Yeah, but I'm just some random stranger oversharing... totally different from a friend or relative or co-worker!" At least, that's what she's sticking to! Still, she chuckles, "But I get your point. I won't obsess over it, just try to regain my pride from where I dropped it." She leans against the counter, smiling at him, enjoying the banter if nothing else.

Speaking of strangers! Julia offers a hand to him, "Julia, by the way. So we aren't *total* strangers anymore. And thanks for the tip on the Chinese! We'll have to make that our Saturday lunch date. Rachel loves the steamed pork buns." Grinning, she shakes her head, "Rachel's pretty good about trying all kinds of things. She's way more adventurous than I was at her age, that's for sure."

The question of Rachel's father has the smile fading as she clears her throat, "Ah... he.. passed. Heart attack, last year. It was a rough go, but we're coming out the other side of it. Rachel's a tough, amazing kid. Hard to believe she's only 8 sometimes. Her father and I divorced when she was still really young. It.. wasn't pretty. We had a prolonged custody battle, it went back and forth..."

CLearing her throat, she calls the smile back up, "But. We're both doing much better these days. And yes, I'm her biological mother. Trust me, if you ever see us together, it's pretty apparent." Julia gives a small nod and chuckles, "She had me get her a set of 3-D printed superhero figurines being sold on Etsy. She has a replica of Cap's shield, Thor's hammer, has a 'batarang' she made in art class.. and the posters. SO many posters." As for POkemon, she grins, "Oh yeah? Which one is your favorite?"

The enthusiasm over Metropolis has her brows jumping up and a chuckle escaping, "Well then, sounds like we'll have to visit soon."

Wally West has posed:
Julia's warm laugh is something that's like music to the ears. Wally doesn't hear such jovial attitude often. She reminds him of an important woman to him in a few ways, though Julia seems a bit sillier by comparison. "Well, we all have a hardass boss somewhere, right?" He asks Julia with a bit of amusement touching his features. "Well, that begs the question though, what do you do for work? Are you in politics?" He leans in a little to whisper. "Did I vote for you?" He gasps. "Did I /not/ vote for you/?!" Seemingly all in good friendly conversation however!

He does seem to chuckle a little bit. "Not really a random stranger. I mean, we've been talking a little bit for a short time at least!" He smirks. When a hand is extended, Wally extends his in return, keeping eye contact, gripping her hand in a good shake. Confident in his stride. "Nice to meet you, Julia. I'm Wally. Well, Wallace. But everybody calls me Wally. Is Rachel your daughter? Sounds like a pretty spunky kid."

He wouldn't know what having a kid is like. He's not a father! But he's always kinda wanted to be. Maybe his world would be a much brighter place with a little bundle of speedy joy in his life. "Hey, anytime!" He tilts his head a little bit at the saturday lunch date. Did she ask him out? "Well, I don't mind lunch!" He doesn't even notice if she did. He's a hungry guy and if you're fast? You gotta eat!

He hears of Rachel's father and he frowns a little bit. "I'm sorry about the loss. It sounds like it was a really rough time for you guys, but good to hear you're on the strong foot again. It's never easy rising above that. Good work." Wally says FAR more seriously than his previously jovial nature would suggest.

But thankfully, it's right back!

"Heh, nice! I'd love to meet her sometime. She sounds like a cool kid. I wish I had that many replicas!" He doesn't need to. He knows most of them! "as for a batarang...I found a real one left behind at a crime scene. I managed to hold onto it, it's the real deal!" He smirks faintly, as if that makes him COOL!

"I really like Pikachu, because I'm a basic bitch." He jokes. "But I think Rayquaza's pretty cool." He chuckles. "You better! If I don't see you wandering around the city with your head in clouds, we'll never speak again."

Julia Carpenter has posed:
He gets to hear the laughter again at his suggestion that she's in politics and he may or may not have voted for her. Julia grins briefly and it opens up her features, adding warmth and mirth to them, "No, I'm not in politics. I, uh.. work for one of those weird government agencies that make you sign like twenty NDA's even if you're just the mailroom guy." She lifts a shrug, "Like I said, I'm trying to get into a more.. open branch. I like the idea of helping people, but not so much the secretive part. Makes the office politics really cutthroat and that just.. not my speed."

Shaking his hand, her own grip is firm but friendly, not trying to overpower but certainly confident in herself. "Do you prefer Wallace or Wally? I've never really had anyone use a nickname on me, but I'm open to possibilities." Chuckling, she gives a nod, "Rachel's my daughter. And she's a great kid."

She hasn't intended to ask him out, but his exclamation has her pausing to replay that last bit. Did she? Kinda! Julia blinks, then smiles, "Well, if you don't mind having lunch with two hungry ladies, we'll be happy to meet you at Sima Wok for some dim sum. My treat. A thank you for being such a good sport with my blunders.. and just for seeming like a cool guy. I might even spring for ice cream after. If you're good." Julia flashes a quick grin at him.

She gives a nod and a brief smile to acknowledge his kind and sincere words about her ex, though she seems just as happy to move on and not dwell on it.

"Well then. You definitely have to meet us for lunch on Saturday. Rachel would never forgive me if I passed on the chance for her to meet someone else that's a collector of superhero memorabilia!" Even if Julia seems relatively clueless about the whole thing, Rachel will certainly be super jazzed to hear about the very real batarang!

"Hey, nothing wrong with the basics! Pikachu is still one of the strongest Pokemon around, I think! Rachel's a fan of Arcanine, Ninetales.. fire type canines, basically. I'm pretty sure that's how she's hinting to me about wanting a dog." She chuckles and lifts a shrug, "I can't promise head in clouds... but we'll certainly visit! I'm not generally disposed towards a lot of... flights of fancy, sad to say."

Wally West has posed:
"Oooohhhh gotcha."

SHIELD, SWORD? WAND?

Wally's mind is moving faster than Julia can even finish a word. One quintillionth of a second passing as he looks her in the eyes, trying to see where he's placed her before. Alas, this is truly the first time they've EVER met. Huh. "So it's one of those 'your social security number is how many security exams you have to pass to get this job.'? I can respect that." He chuckles a little bit. "Honestly? I hate politics. Too slow, too much talking, too much arguing. Nobody's willing to talk anymore. It's just jump and 'how high'?"

He chuckles. "Wally, please. I hate being called Wallace. Only called that when I'm in trouble." He thinks about a nickname. "How about Jules?" He questions, knowing it's ABSOLUTELY AWFUL but you know what? SOmetimes you gotta take a solid risk. Though he chuckles a little bit. "Don't mind at all! I never turn down lunch with companhy. Heh, hey sure. I'm down with ice cream, thanks for thinking I'm cool! Though uh...I gotta ask, and I'm sorry if I'm overthinking..."

He clears his throat.

"Is it a date? I'd like to go as friends if that's okay. See, there's this girl...Cait's her name. She's incredible and...you know. Is that okay?" He asks Julia, his tone sheepish and his body language almost wimpish, as if he was deeply afraid that this would destroy their growing friendshp as soon as it began!

Though he chuckles softly. "Hah, I'd love to compare notes with her! Though I guarantee she has cooler stuff than me. I've been too busy lately to actively collect, she'd destroy me in a contest." He seems to chuckle a little bit! "Hey, Pikachu is the homeboy. Ash 'Catch these hands' Ketchum! Shame that dude is like, still 15...I would've loved to have seen adult Ash teaching a new generation, but what do I know?" He lifts his shoulders in a shrug.

"Heh, hey fair enough!" to the flights of fancy.

Julia Carpenter has posed:
Letting out a laugh that's a little wry along with the mirth, Julia gives a nod, "Yeah, not to mention the psych profile, the background checks... I'm pretty sure they talked to my third grade teacher." She flashes a brief grin and tucks her thumbs into her back pockets, lifting a shrug. "But I agree on the politics. It's not really anything I'm interested in getting involved in."

Nodding, she smiles, "Wally, then. And if you want, you can call me Jules. I"m pretty flexible." And it might be a novel experience to have someone call her by a nickname!

She lifts broth brows once more when he starts to hedge, the question he finally asks has her startled into a small laugh. "Oh! Oh, no! No, no... I'm not... I'm sorry, I'm not.. at a point where I'm looking to.. to date." Julia offers an embarrassed smile, "I'm so sorry if I gave that impression. I was just thinking.. you might make a good friend? And, well, Rachel would love to meet you, I'm sure."

Clearing her own throat, she reaches up to rub the back of her neck, "Look, I'm just... I'm new to the city. I was hoping to make a friend or two that know the city, and that maybe don't mind having a kid around sometimes for a meetup.." She shrugs, then smiles towards him, "So.. if that's okay with you.. then.. still on for lunch Saturday? Bring Cait if you like, the more people we can meet the better."

Chuckling, Julia shakes her head, "She's going to geek out when she finds out you have actual memorabilia from some of her favorite heroes." She chuckles then, "You know, funny you should say that.. supposedly the next show is going to be something like that. Ash is all grown up, and it's finally the next generation's turn."

Wally West has posed:
"Oh god, the psych profile." Wally shivers at the mere thought of it. "I would fail pretty much immediately. Ask anybody, I'm awful at keeping secrets." Bold-faced lie, Wally is /exceptional/ at keeping his trap shut. For example, even for telepaths, his mind either races too fast to be kept up with properly to control it or he simply recites useless information, like football scores or chess moves to keep people guessing.

He's kind of a genius without being an actual genius. It's weird. Accept it!

"Jules it is!" Wally seems pleased, though suddenly she's laughing and confirming that this is truly just a friends thing to meet people and get to know each other, which makes Wally genuinely breathe out a sigh of relief. "WHEW! Just wanted to get that out of the way. Sometimes things get confusing, you know? Didn't want to lead you on if that's how you felt. I've got a girl who's pretty amazing, and I didn't want...yeah, you get it!" He chuckles a little bit. "Trust me kid-" is she older than him? younger? It doesn't seem to matter, he's looping an arm around her shoulders all sibling-like. "You stick around with me and we'll be taking off to the moon! I can see it now-"

He gestures to the far off distance. "Best. Friends. Forever. Oh my gosh, I can get bracelets!"

Oh yeah. Friendship bracelets. You know it. Then he gets serious, releasing her from his grasp assuming it was allowed to happen at all. "Hey, I get it. I want to be your friend, I just didn't want to end up hurting your feelings, you know? I'm here for you though. It's a scary place, being in a new city. It's a lunch date. I'll be there. I'll try and bring Cait, but she's a /very/ busy woman. Seriously, it's notorious at this point." He smirks at her.

"Oh seriously?! Man, I've been out of the lop for /forever/."

Julia Carpenter has posed:
"Thankfully, though my childhood was somewhat unusual, it was also a pleasant one. So there was nothing to really 'dig up'. No resentment towards my parents, no traumatic childhood memories, no bullying in high school or college." Julia lifts a small shrug and offers a wry smile towards him. "Talking about my marriage wasn't the greatest, but it was necessary." She doesn't have any particular resistance, but then, she's also not psychic, at least, not in the traditional sense.

Laughing softly, she gives a nod, "Jules and Wally. Great sounding duo name." She chuckles, nudging him lightly and giving a nod, "Had me worried there for a moment, Wally. But I get it, I can see where it might have seemed like... but I'm glad we got that sorted out." Offering him a smile, Julia nods, "That's wonderful. I hope you two make it, Wally."

THere's a laugh as he calls her 'kid', and she shakes her head at him, "Oh I have no doubt. We're going to be a wicked duo when we get going. Chuckling, she turns as the pizzas are brought up, grabbing her stack and lifting them up in one hand, balancing them perfectly, and without issue.

"Well, I should probably head out while these are still hot. You're not wrong though. It's intimidating to be in a new city without knowing anyone. So... thanks. For being a friend. Saturday, lunch. If Cait can make it, great! If not, we'll try to work something into her schedule another time!" Julia pats herself down briefly, finally reaching into a pocket of her pullover and pulling out a receipt. Flipping it over, she borrows one of the parlor's pens and writes down her number, offering it to him with a smile, "Here. Let me know if you need to reschedule, and if you text me, I'll get you added to contacts and let you know if anything comes up on my end."

Wally West has posed:
"Hey, gotta love a good childhood. I had a good childhood too. Lots of Cartoon Network." Wally smirks at Julia playfully, truly no ill-will or cruel intent from him. Just truly a friendly soul. "You got through high school without a bully who hated your guts? Man, I really think we should do tradesies. My guy's name was brock and he had a weird thing for wedgies." Wally smirks a little bit. "Sorry about that, again...I won't talk about it unless you want to." And he HIGHLY doubts she'll ever want to.

But the offer is there.

"Dynamic duo, like Batman and Robin." He smirks at her. "Definitely glad we sorted it out. Trust me, me too. She's incredible. I hope you get a chance to meet her." He chuckles a little bit. "We're...waiting for our moment, if that makes sense? It's complicated, lots of moving parts." He smirks. "But I appreciate it. Thanks, Jules."

Pizzas have arrived! He reaches to grab a stack, and he seems to look at the phone number offered to him, accepting it with a big smile on his face. "Heh, sounds like a plan. Tell Rachel I said hi and thank you for being a friend." He smiles big and warm. Like there's something wrong with his face for smiling so much or at the very least, he's just /that/ friendly.

"I'll give you a call. Hey, stay safe okay? I'll text ya!"