17886/Late and Early at the Copperpot

Late and Early at the Copperpot
Date of Scene:	09 May 2024
Location:	Copperpot Diner
Synopsis:	Tandy meets Venom's human half, and unknowingly makes good on that offer of diner food.
Cast of Characters:	Eddie Brock, Tandy Bowen

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Eddie Brock has posed:
It's the middle of the night when Eddie Brock wanders into the Copperpot Diner with his hands thrust into the pockets of the hooded sweatshirt that he wears. He wears a baseball cap, though it hasn't been pulled down low in a way that'll surely draw attention to the man trying to hide his face. He looks tired and bleary-eyed, as though he's only recently rolled himself out of bed at half past three in the morning. He rubs the back of his fingers across his stubbled jaw, causing it to scritch and scratch with the sound of the wiry hair against his hand. At least he doesn't let loose some obnoxious yawn to further illustrate his fatigue. The quiet scraping shuffle of his boots seems to broadcast that fact enough.

The Copperpot Diner itself is only sparsely busy given the hour, but there are a few late night or early morning stragglers. Grazing tiredly at their end-of-night and post-drinking dinner or the grizzled middle-aged guy having a bit of breakfast before he's off for his shift. If nothing else Eddie blends right in among the crowd as he shuffles his way through the diner and toward the few stools lining the counter. The vinyl seat squeaks with his weight settle atop it, which only serves to join with the clatter of silverware against porcelain, or the kitchen's own hisses and rattles from further back in the diner. The call of an order being ready breaks the routine of silver and dishware in use, along with the quiet mumbling of one quiet conversation or another.

He doesn't obnoxiously flag down a waitress or anyone else for that matter. He simply settles atop that stool and hands still thrust into his pockets. He sniffs once and his nose skews upward for a moment. The scent of old cigarette smoke still clings to old surfaces, as though even after a couple decades of indoor smoking bans, the smell will forever plague the old diner. For someone Eddie's age though, it's the source of old memories no doubt. The staticy television likewise draws his attention and he offers it a little smirk, as yet more of the past is dredged up within his own mind. Eventually his head turns ahead and his chin lowers into a little bow while he delves into a little waking sleep while he awaits the diner's staff checking in on him.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
Tandy sends a stack of dishes through the sanitizer with a sigh, twisting with a sigh of relief as her back pops in multiple places. It's her third double this week, and she can feel it in her feet and shoulders. Her head throbs from the constant clatter, and she's glad she's got her hair tied back in a low ponytail instead of her normal higher ponytail or bun, a remnant from her dancing days. Her hands get a wash next, and the jangle of the front door has her glancing up just in time to see a man in a ballcap take a seat at the bar.

The nice thing about the Copperpot is that this late she's generally just got to be polite instead of pasting on a ridiculous chipper smile and being ultra-friendly. He's not a regular that she recognizes, so she gives him a tired smile as she leans against the counter. "What can I getcha? If it's your first time, I suggest the egg and cheese sandwich. Coffee's plenty strong, but it's basically tar unless you add a heap of cream and sugar."

Eddie Brock has posed:
The voice results in Eddie's chin lifting and his face becoming more visible beneath the ball cap. A hand slips from his pocket and removes the cap, setting it to the countertop nearby. "Mmm," he thoughtfully grunts back at Tandy's question. He fixes his gaze upon her however. While the rest of him looks haggard and tired, his eyes seeming to settle onto her with sudden clarity and perhaps even purpose. He does finally answer after a moment of thoughtful consideration, "Egg and cheese sandwich sounds great, actually. Coffee's great, cream and sugar, please. How're the hashbrowns?"

The question is present and Eddie's attention remains fixed upon Tandy while his in the midst of ordering. Nearby one of the televisions babbles something reminiscent of the news, but the volume's low enough to make it not disruptive, which in turn makes it effectively impossible for the average person to hear over the quiet murmur of early morning chatter and the sizzles that periodically erupt from the kitchen.

"Quiet night?" he asks after a moment, sending a sidelong glance this way and that before Eddie's attention turns promptly back to Tandy and her low ponytail.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
Her smile is a little more genuine at the question. "Slung hot and served greasy, just like everything else. You like'em blond or dark?" While she asks she's taking steps to the coffeepot, pouring a cup and sliding it in front of him, along with the various colored sugar packets and individual containers of half n half. "You got good timing, really. Missed the after-bar drunks and it's a little too early for the senior set. Lord willing I won't see much of them today except on my way out." The clock said she had about an hour left on her shift, and she really hoped the morning shift folks would actually be on time. She was ready to pass out.

He looked about as tired as she felt, which earned him a bit of sympathy. Weird shifts, maybe, or insomnia. She couldn't tell and it wasn't her place to judge, but if he wanted to chat a little while she was moving around the place or just eat in peace, she'd go with it.

Eddie Brock has posed:
The question and the delivery of it earns a lopsided, tired smile out of Eddie as he nods along with her description, "Hot and greasy is good enough for. I'll have an order of hashbrowns too, please". While Tandy's busy with retrieving the coffee and her question is presented, he bobs his chin slightly upward as though to cast his voice after her, "I'm good with blonde today. I don't feel like chewing my coffee today," he says with a renewed smile. The coffee's delivered with the scrape of the cup across the countertop and Eddie's hand moves to receive it. He doesn't delay in retrieving a couple sugar packets, tearing them open and dumping their contents into his cup.

He looks up to regard Tandy while his hands work, mixing and pouring contents into the dark, dark coffee. The conversation carries on however and Eddie seems keen to have a little morning company and conversation, so long as it doesn't intrude on the waitresses' work, "I'll count my blessings," he says of having slipped in between the two distinct night and morning crowds. A nod toward the coffee pot earns a glance back toward Tandy and a question presented, "Not sure how much longer you've got to go, but if you're looking for a little pick-me-up? Have a cup on me."

Tandy Bowen has posed:
She calls the order out over her shoulder, then rips the ticket off and clips it to the order wheel. "Not long enough to have a cup, but I appreciate the offer," Tandy replies as she sets out napkins and silverware. "Holler if you need a refill, and I'll be right over." She disappears around the corner for just a few seconds, then reappears with a grey tub and ducks under the counter to clean up tables.

It's easy work this time of night, a few cups and plates, loose silverware and a quick wipedown with a relatively clean, hot cloth. Tandy leaves the tub at the other end of the counter from Eddie, and her hands are washed yet again before she swipes his cup for a refill. "Looks like your grub's about ready. Need anything with it? Ketchup, hot sauce?"

Eddie Brock has posed:
"Hey, no problem," Eddie answers back at Tandy's decline of coffee and the reasoning behind it. As she slips away to attend to other matters of importance, Eddie's attention turns away to regard the television. He watches it for a time, but when Tandy reappears his attention gradually drifts toward her. He watches with the casual interest of someone with nothing better to do.

   <<Venom>> "That is her. We know it."

The little voice in the back of Eddie's mind earns an answer, though it is quiet, "Mhmm". The sound is made as Tandy speaks and it's due to practice that he covers the quiet response to a silent voice with a follow-up to the true conversation unfolding before himself, "Sorry, yeah, some..."

   <<Venom>> "We do not want hot sauce, Edddiee", the hellish voice growls menacingly in the back of his mind.

"... hot sauce would be great..." he answers in response to Tandy's question.

   <<Venom>> "Asshole."

"... thank you," he says with a smile. He finishes stirring his cup of coffee, sets the drink stirrer aside onto a napkin, and prepares to take a drink. Then he pauses, eyeing Tandy with obvious interest before his chin shifts, directing his gaze this way and that as though to determine whether anyone was in the midst of paying too much attention to their conversation. Finding no one actively observing, Eddie leans forward to quietly direct a question toward the waitress, "Listen, I write news stories and stuff, right? Independent journalism kind of stuff. I heard there was something that went down in the neighborhood a week or two ago. Someone said there was a monster or something running around. You heard anything about that?"

The question is delivered with an expression that seems to suggest that there's professional curiosity there for the alleged independent journalist, while his forehead seems to wrinkle and line, while his eyebrows curve slightly with an expression that illustrates his rather blatant disbelief of the story that's perhaps brought him into the neighborhood at such an ungodly hour.

The question is presented and soon Eddie's bringing his cup up, permitting himself a sip from it while he watches Tandy. Both for her reaction, but also her response.

Tandy Bowen has posed:
Tandy can feel his eyes on her her as she moves around the diner, but it doesn't creep her out the way the eyes of some of the post-bar crowd does. It reminds her a bit of when Ty shows up at the end of her shift. Interested. A little curious, maybe. But perfectly safe. She clunked a hot sauce lightly on the counter as she finished cleaning up, then turned at the tinny 'ding!' of the bell as his order came up.

The plate looked good, but then the egg and cheese was generally regarded as the best thing on the menu. "Here's your plate, lemme getcha a refill on that coffee." Her hands were steady as she set the plate in front of him and took his mug. The question about the monster took her off-guard, and her eyes widened as she rocked back on her heels before turning her head and laughing awkwardly. "Probably just some tweakers on a bad trip," she replied, laugh turning into a bit of a cough. "Maybe saw one of the back room guys with a bag of trash, it was late, imagination went a little wild? Who knows with that type."

Eddie Brock has posed:
"Thank you," Eddie answers back on the matter of a refill. He offers her a friendly smile, but not one that's too-friendly. Nice and casually pleasant. The answer to his question though earns a little nod of his head, along with a roll of his shoulders in an abbreviated shrug, "Yeah, that tracks. About what I expected, really". He chuckles, his shoulders rocking with the sound and action. As the sound dies away, he carries on with the discussion, "World's super weird though, so I didn't want to discount the possibility of a story."

Eddie's attention turns down to his recently delivered plate and that egg and cheese sandwich earns an appreciative nod, but he doesn't dig into it right away. Instead Eddie's attention turns back to Tandy and he carries on with the discussion while he distractedly gropes about with his fingertips, searching for his fork. Tandy's got his attention for the moment and he doesn't seem too bothered with talking instead of eating, "Obviously there's some unanswered questions and all that, but the most rational explanation is the simple one: a simple misunderstanding."

Tandy Bowen has posed:
"Oh for sure, weird stuff everywhere now." Tandy's not comfortable leaking a story though, and Lil Teefies seemed alright. A little murderous, but she couldn't really hold that against him when it came to people mugging old ladies. If this guy happened to see the story, then sure, but otherwise best to not have reporters sniffing around. Or their cameras. "But nah, probably just drugs." The bell on the door clinked across the frame, and her smile brightened a little as two people came through the door.

"Blessed morning, my coworkers are on time." It wasn't terribly loud, but as she was standing right in front of Eddie it was pretty easy to hear. "You have a card? I'll let you know if I see anything weird." Not in her neighborhood, but she could do him a solid. Cell phone photos, maybe.

Eddie Brock has posed:
"It happens a lot," Eddie remarks with a faint smile, "where do you think all the old alien claims and everything came from, you know? Sure, some of them were probably legit, but not all of them". Says the man with an alien lifeform infused with him down to the very cells of his body. "Regardless, I appreciate the candor."

The ringing at the door and Tandy's muttered words result in a more prominent smile out of Eddie, but he offers her a nod regardless. "I'll leave you alone so you can get things wrapped up then," he begins, but pauses with Tandy's question of a card, "oh yeah, definitely. I'd appreciate it if you let me know of anything you might hear. I'm discreet, too. If you don't want your name included in anything? It won't be," he promises with words spoken with steely resolve.

The card is produced, handed over, and a nod given. Only when Tandy seems to be done with their interaction, does he look down to his plate and set about the task of eating without further interruption of her morning.