16531/A Quick Bite to Eat

A Quick Bite to Eat
Date of Scene:	09 December 2023
Location:	Empire Diner
Synopsis:	Olivia meets Bart at the Empire diner. Over eggs and bacon, a friendship is forged. Impulse makes an appearance, as well, to keep the streets safe from some would-be bank robbers. Odd that Bart got there just after the hero left, though!
Cast of Characters:	Olivia Gaudin, Bart Allen

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Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    It's late afternoon, and Olivia is starving. While it's technically not something she's supposed to do, she just had to slip away to get a bite to eat between shows. The director said it was okay!

    Well, he would have, if she had asked. Probably. Besides, she made sure to save time in a most clever way. So it is that she is here, at the Empire Diner, in full makeup. In other words, she's wearing green paint on her face, neck, arms, and legs. All of it is rather visible, since she's wearing a skirt and a sleeveless top.

    She is recognized and causes quite a buzz. It's not every day the Wicked Witch of the West shows up. She settles herself on a stool and waits patiently for a waitress to assist her.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen was doing the hero thing and found himself hungry. He finds a spot nearby and changes into his civis. Bart Alan not Impulse walks into the dinner looking about. He notices the green girl, and people looking at her. He decided to walk over and sit beside her offering her a nod, but acting as if this is normal. Of Course for Bart it might be.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    It is near Broadway, no doubt there are all sorts of odd things that have happened here! Olivia can't really hold a candle to the things a super hero runs into, but she is friendly, which is far more than can be said about some of the people Bart's probably dealt with.

    She looks over at Bart with a smile. "Hello!"

    There's this feeling of focus that comes with her attention settling on him. For the moment, he is the most interesting thing in the world.

    "I'm Olivia. What's your name?"

    She offers her hand. She also adds in a rush, "Don't worry, the paint won't come off. Honestly, once it's set it's hard to get off without help." With an amused giggle, she tacks on, "Why, when makeup is done scrubbing it off of me I feel shiny and new."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen hmms and says "Oh it is paint? I thought was natural." He tells her offering his hand in return "Bart." He offers in introduction for himself. He looks over to the waitress and orders a Cherry coke while he gets the menu.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Olivia laughs softly, "No, no, I just pretend to be Green seven times a week. Well, sometimes more, but don't tell my agent that. He'd be grouchy. And it's great to meet you, Bart!"

    The waitress pauses by Olivia. No menu is offered. It seems she does not need one. "My usual, please. Oh, and no ketchup this time." She strikes a more imposing, straight-spined posture. "I'll take my scrambled eggs... straight."

    The drama gets a smile from the waitress, who is clearly accustomed to this silliness now. This allows Olivia to refocus on Bart.

    "So Bart, what brings you to this particular neighborhood at this particular time of day?" Yes, she's a terribly cheesey person today. She's already done one show, and the giddiness of applause will take hours to wear off!

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen thanks the lady for the menu, and says "I was passing through and started to get hungry. I go to school at ESU, so been here a couple times, and figured it sounded good." He looks at the menu, and orders a large order, bacon, sausage, 6 eggs, 6 pieces of toast, hash browns. He hmms "I think that will work for a start."

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    That order makes Olivia's eyebrows nearly climb off her head into the air. "Wow, you... really must have one amazing metabolism, Bart!" That's a lot of eggs. And a lot of toast. And just... a lot. She can't help but eye him over briefly.

    "Where do you /put/ all that? I mean, wow. You must work out a lot!" But no need to dwell on that! She wouldn't want to embarass him.

    "And ESU, huh? That's great! What are you studying there?"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and says "I'm a runner, so I pack on the calories, when I eat." This is the truth just a bit understatement. "I am studying veterinarian medicine. I got a part time job at Gotham Zoo, and I fell in love with working with animals." He explains.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Bart just said the magic words. Olivia has an enormous soft spot for animals. Honestly just the cute ones, but she kinda thinks most animals are cute! Her eyes go wide and she gushes, "That is so wonderful! What an incredible job. I love zoos so much! Honestly, if there's ever a charity event, please let me know. I'd be delighted to help in whatever ways I can. Um, you don't happen to work with red pandas, do you? They fill up like all of my social media apps."

    It takes a second, but she does recover. "Sorry about that, umm, a runner? Do you compete at school, or is it more for fun?"

    If she only knew...

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen smiles and says "I have worked with some, so far, I work more at night, but have been called in to help when they need an extra hand." He pulls off the jacket he had on and his shirt says "Red Arrow is the best Arrow." "More fun, and a family thing. Pretty much everyone in my family runs, so it is sorta how we bound."

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    He worked with red pandas. Olivia has to just play it cool. Thankfully she is an actress who can keep herself from going on too much. Seriously, she has an issue! But for now, she has to focus!

    "That's great! Oh, you are a fan of super heroes?" she asks curiously. Meaning the shirt, which she assumes is related to Red Arrow the hero. But which she could easily be completely wrong about.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods, and says "Yea, I like heroes who are like a family, and the whole Arrow group seems that way, and Red Arrow is my favorite, she is really confident, kicks but, and she is gorgeous." He explains with a smile "We even had a group of young heroes who helped save some cheetah cubs at the Gotham zoo about a year or so ago."

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "Super heroes are amazing. They have these gifts that they could use for anything, but they decide to give them away for the good of others." She lifts a hand to her cheek, brushing fingers over it. "It's funny, but I've always wanted to just say thank you, you know? I even got saved by a super hero in Gotham just this week and I wonder if I really showed how grateful I was. Thank you just doesn't seem enough. If he hadn't been there, who knows what might have happened?"

    Her musings are brought to an end by the delivery of food. Her order is modest. A pair of pancakes (covered with a dozen cherries of all things) and a pair of (no joke) green scrambled eggs.

    "You know, I get the feeling that they really love me here. But umm, that is so great, really. Having heroes show up to save cheetah cubs is very sweet. Red Arrow sounds pretty incredible. Do you know her personally?"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen says, "I have seen her a few times." He explain. No need to admit that he is dating her, specially since Bart is dating Emiko. "Oh what happened in Gotham, who saved you?" He asks a bit "I live over in Gotham, so I may have seen them going over head or something.""

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "I was rescued by Rook. He came out of nowhere! It was terrifying, though. Honestly, I did my best not to, but once I got back home and felt safe I pretty much bawled like a little girl. I'm just.. not brave, you know? I was so scared."

    Sure, she did contribute a bit. She stabbed a thug with a pen. Her father gave her that pen, though, so she rather regrets leaving it. But... to pull it out would have been way too gross!

    She works away at the eggs, eating slowly. Her posture this whole time remains very proper, with only the occasional break to emphasize an outburst of energy. "Rook was really nice, though. He gave me a ride to the station on his bike. His bike which... just drove itself to us. He's... yeah, just really nice."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen 's brow raises a bit and smiles "Hey I said Red Arrow is gorgeous, you don't have to be embarrassed about anything you say about Rook." He offers with a smile, and "I am glad to hear you were saved, Gotham can be a dangerous place."

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    That gives Olivia the space to laugh at herself over the whole thing. "That's fair. Yes, he is handsome, too. And strong. And just, well, he's a super hero. He saves people, hangs out with Batman and other heroes, and has a motorcycle that drives itself. Meanwhile, I wear green paint and pretend to be a witch. I know all sorts of things can happen, but there's like... hm. A professional distance, too, right?"

    She devours a cherry or two and falls silent. Not exactly brooding, but not far from it. "So have you spoken with Red Arrow much when you met her?" It's a safe way to turn the conversation away from herself. You know, make it about someone else. Or what others might call 'whimpy avoidance behavior.'

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen makes a so-so motion "When I get excited, I can get a bit face talking, so it can be awkward at times." He tells her. He hmms and says "Well, actors are helpful too, they help keep people uplifted and entertained. They say laughter is the best medicine, and I think entertainment fits with it."

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "That is very kind of you to say, Bart. I appreciate it. There are many noble ways to serve others." It helps her feel better. Truly.

    "And I understand that. I kind of act ridiculous when I'm excited. And I am excited very often." She falls silent for a time, focusing her attention on the food. She didn't order a lot. She's got a show in a couple hours, after all. In fact, her cell phone is vibrating angrily in her purse. Her director has no doubt learned of her absence by now, and her costar is likely trying to warn her. Even off the stage, Glinda has her back.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods his head a bit to this and says "It is true, I mean, there is the whole USO which goes and helps soldiers." He offers and says "Everything ok?" He asks nodding to the phone as his food is brought over.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Olivia reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone. She looks at hre texts with a grin. "Yeah, all is quite well! It seems the director is aware that I'm not in my dressing room, not getting my hair done, and they are running out of ideas for keeping him running around. So I'll likely have to go soon. Not that there is any danger. I mean, I'm already in makeup, I've warmed up!"

    She punctuates that by bursting into song. Not for long, but for a single verse, "I'm not that girl." She holds the last note and gets a smattering of applause for her troubles.

    "It'll be fine! I mean, I'll just get in a cab once I'm done."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods a bit and says "Being late can such, yea, I try not to be late, but I am sometimes. My grandpa was known for being late all the time." He offers in explanation. "You sing really well, I might have to check out your show. What is it?

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "Thank you, Bart. And I try never to be late. I must make my every commitment! But I bet it's fun to be more free when it comes to being on time."

    Olivia finishes up her pancakes with a will. The cherries may have to wait, sadly. "I will definitely need a box," she calls out to the waitress. A box full of cherries. Well, she's eccentric. She's supposed to be.

    "I am Elphaba in Wicked. Also known as the Wicked Witch of the West! The terror of the skies! The menace to munchkins! And the protector of animals."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen smiles a bit and says "I imagine taking care of flying monkeys would be a pain. I mean with the tendencies of primates and the way they act, then add to that ability to fly. Epps.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    That gets ripples of giggling from Olivia. "Yes! Yes indeed! And they have much reason to be upset with the wizard and his forces! Such a naughty man, indeed, to make a play at being a dictator. I of course will have none of that."

    She drops the act quickly, setting her plate aside and storing her precious leftover cherries in her bag. She can' thelp but look over Bart's plates of food to see just how he's doing with that enormous order of his.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen has already ate about half of it, and does not seem to be slowing down on it. "It is nice when there can be a redeeming thing. Wish the witch had been able to be redeemed at the end.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "Well, I cannot share spoilers, but you truly must see the show, if you want to get my side of that story," says Olivia. She is rather pleased by her clever response. It's so rare for her to say something clever!

    She is impressed by the efficiency Bart demonstrates in eating. It's quite a remarkable pace. "You know, perhaps after this you'd like to see the performance? The theater isn't too far away. Hop in a cab and we'll be there in no time at all!"

    Should Bart look outside, he may note, however, that something has gone awry with the traffic. It's simply not moving. Perhaps there's been an accident?

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen hmmms and nods his head a bit to this and says "I think I might be able to make it, but I might need to meet ya there, need to check into something. " He does notice things and puts a hand to his stomach "Um, if you will excuse me for a moment, I should be back shortly." He stands and heads to the restroom. Once inside he will set his shoes and pants on the toilet to make it look like he is in there. Changing to Impulse, he will vibrate through the wall to step outside and see whats going on.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    There is, indeed, an accident. It seems several cars caused a remarkable, multi-lane pileup. Any hopes of a quick cab ride are quite dashed. As for the actual cause of said crash, it isn't immediately obvious, but a closer look will notice a white sprinter that managed to get knocked on its side. The sound of sirens starts to fill the air. It's likely police and fire are both on the way. Probably an ambulance or two, as well.

    The van, which is the source of the trouble, bursts open, as the passengers are finally ready to break out. They wouldn't stand out too much, except that they all have large black bags at their sides and hastily concealed guns at their hips.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen frowns a bit to this and shakes his head. He will move in towards the accident, first making sure no one is hurt a blur moving from car to car. He puts a hand to his ear, and then moves it and just says outloud. "Accident and some kind of robbers outside Empire Dinner Impulse on the job." It is Big Blue's city and he knows he will probably hear him. He then is going around each man, pulling their guns away and replacing them with things from the van. A pair of gloves here, a ice scraper there, things like that. Then he stops standing on the side of the van "Ok, going to give you a chance Jail with or without bruises?" He says as he makes himself the center of attention.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    One thing that is truly odd about criminals is that they just... they just refuse to accept reality. They are so laughably outclassed, they really should just lay down their weapons. Well, they don't have actual weapons. They should just surrender. And yet they do not.

    The shortest of the criminals appears to have a pretty good build. But he's normal man regardless, and while he puts a lot of weight behind an attempt to punch Bart, he's actually not very good at fighting.

    Back at the diner, Olivia is completely unaware of what is going on. She's looking at her phone, going through social media. She likes no less than ten pictures of red pandas from around the world!

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen shakes his head a bit and sighs. He dodges the punch with ease. "You guys don't learn, don't you know there is this guy who flies and can punch a whole in a mountain that lives here." He will moves between the men, any that are close to another will find his shoelaces tied to the guy next to his knotted well. Then he is back over to the guy who punched at him, and will pull the guys belt off and loops it around one of the man's hands to help guide the guy if he tries to punch again.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    Honestly, they are slow learners. But they have run out of time. The police are here. Sure, they don't leap in, cause this is about the funniest thing they've seen this week.

    "These are the guys who just hit the Citi bank?" asks one of the boys in blue. "Must be. Guess they are better at burrowing into vaults than they are getting away."

    The most beligerent of the criminals even has to give up. After all, his pants nearly fell down as his belt was taken.

    And a little distance away, the buzz of a hero in action can be heard in the diner. People have noticed. And that, of course, does get Olivia's attention. She's... a fangirl. A big time fangirl. So she is outside to try and get a peek! A pity that Bart is missing this!

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen will gather the guys to together sitting them down in front of the cop cars. "Here are your guys officers, and here are their guns." He moves them from where he had hid them to the hood of one of the police cars "Will need to still search them, but none of them pulled anything out when they realized their guns were gone." He looks at the traffic jam, and says "I could clear that out, but you guys would have a problem searching it afterwards so I will leave it to you." He offers his hand to the cops "Thanks for being here, and taking the guys in." He zooms back to the Van and standing on it says "And everyone should thank the police officers here, they are here to protect you, you should thank them." He then is heading off to vibrate back into the dinner, and changes clothes, where he will come out wash his hands, and comes out and then towards the door "Hey whats going on?" He asks.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "You.. you just missed it. I'm sorry, Bart! Impulse was here! I... didn't really get to see much, honestly, but from what I could see, he captured some criminals." She can't figure out much beyond that. She didn't get there in time to see all the action. She's totally regretting that!

    "I should probably start walking back, too. No cab is going to make much progress through this! I imagine you are busy, but if not, the Gershwin is only about fifteen minutes away."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over and says "Let me pay for my food and get a go box, and I will walk ya there to make sure you make it there safe.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    While Olivia would, a short while ago, say she's totally safe, her trip to Gotham taught her how helpful it is to have someone with her. Safety is... a good thing.

    Once Bart is back, she stand ready to go. "I can't make the greatest pace in these heels, but I'll do my best not to hold your pace back too much."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over and says "Don't worry about me, I can eat some as we walk." He says and he has pulled a piece of bacon from his box and is munching it "So Impulse a regular around here? I don't think I have ever seen him in action.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "You know, I'm not sure, really. I imagine when you can move that fast, though, you can save people pretty much wherever you please. Huh. You make a good point, though. I mean, how do they coordinate it all? It can't all be luck, right? If they didn't communicate, you'd have a single crime get swarmed by three heroes."

    Olivia finds this very curious, indeed. "I bet they use radios. Or... someting like that. That's the only thing that makes sense, right?"

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods a bit and says "Or might be once one hero is on it, if another sees it and thinks they got it covered they leave them to it, and head towards something else. I have heard there have been times when two heroes did not know one another and ended up fighting before they realized they were both good guys.

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "That is a classic story! It's funny, but I imagine it can happen easily enough. You charge into a scene, rarely have a chance to get a full grasp of the situation, and one thing leads to another."

    Olivia focuses on Bart, which is to say she doesn't pay too much mind to those calling out to her. Well, calling out to Elphaba, anyway. They don't know her personally, these random folks on the street.

    "Part of what I really like about big cities is that we have so many chances to see heroes. I'm happy to say I've never seen them fight each other yet, though."

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen nods his head a bit and is now munching one of the pieces of sausages "It id not something you see often I don't think, but yea, here, New York, are probably best. Keystone is good to see the Flash I have heard."

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    "I'd like to see more heroes, of course. But I have a feeling that I'll just have to wait for luck. Honestly, though, I'd prefer not to be in a situation where I need saving again. That was terrifying. Seriously. I had all these ideas in my head of how I'd react to danger. Quick thinking, being brave or stoic. It was none of that. I was shaking."

    She sighs softly. Hm. Bart is eating bacon, so she'll eat her cherries. They are her favorite.

    "When do you graduate, by the way? And when you do, are you going to work full-time at the zoo?"

Olivia Gaudin has posed:
    The rest of the way to the theatre, the conversation stays light. Olivia is happy to make it safely. She'll credit that to her brave protector. All the while, she's got no clue that Bart could protect her from just about anything the world could throw at her.