2373/Not every scene has to have Water in it!

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Not every scene has to have Water in it!
Date of Scene: 08 July 2020
Location: Eastside - Queensland Park
Synopsis: There were things we were looking for. And no water!
Cast of Characters: Nessa Donovan, Arthur Curry




Nessa Donovan has posed:
While not a resident of Metropolis, Nessa's no stranger to it. Often, she's filled in a shift or two for a family-run diner she happens to know the owner of. That's what brings her to Metropolis today, the end of a long shift in the kitchen of a diner. Walking along casually, hair pinned back to keep it out of her face, she seems to be in a good mood, if not a tiny bit tired, humming something catchy under her breath. Her clothes are simple, jeans and a comfortable t-shirt. It's hard to tell where she's headed for, but wherever it is, she seems to be in no rush.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    It's right outside that diner, its rusty spoon veneer unharmed by the glow of an LCD 'OPEN' light that shines in the window, that a tall man stands pausing there with a phone in his hand and a furrow to his brow.
    She probably hasn't seen him around before. She'd have remembered him most likely. Tall, grim of visage, with broad shoulders and long hair. Long hair that's tied into a pony tail, and a wild beard that's bound as well with two bands that lend it at least some semblance of control and normalcy.
    Perhaps not enough to cause her to stray from her time off, or her wandering home. But then that's the moment he raises his voice.
    "Hey!"
    A beat.
    "Hey, lady. You work here?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"It's not my regular gig," Nessa points out, shifting the strap of the messenger bag over her shoulder so it sits more comfortably. "But I fill in. If you've got complaints about the wait staff, can't help you there, I'm no manager." She does stop to study the wild-bearded man with one gloved hand resting on her hip. She's not entirely sure if there's a complaint coming, but she's ready for it.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    She'll see his features twist a little as he makes a face and looks away, the hand without the cellphone in it held up as if trying to get her to stop and then dropping when she finally does. But once she's finished talking he gives her a nod, "Yeah, that's great." He says about her not being a manager.
    But then he turns and walks towards her, looking down at his phone again and flicking a thumb over whatever app is on the screen, then he's pocketing it as he levels those amber eyes upon her. "You ever see anything weird while working there?"
    He stops in front of her and... yes he's very tall. Arms fold over his chest as he meets her gaze and then asks another question. "Anything strange while filling in for the place?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
That's a different sort of complaint. Nessa's demeanor changes a bit, and while the hand stays on her hip and she stands tall (as much as she can in the face of someone with more height on her), she seems interested in the questions being asked. Cooperative. "I'm a cook, the owners sometimes call me in when they're short-staffed, I'm usually over in New York." She explains her situation, mostly so he'd have perspective on how much she even /could/ have seen. "It's regular enough, but I'm not sure I'd call it frequent enough to recognize a pattern of behavior if there's something off there."

She gives him a once-over, mostly to size him up again. "Nothing magical, and I haven't seen anything that screams 'weird' or 'strange'. On my shifts, at least."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    It's fairly easy to size the guy up. He's got that gruff visage, wearing a pair of canvas shorts with a lot of pockets and a chain that apparently connects to his wallet. Over his broad chest is a black t-shirt that in turn has a loose grey over shirt that remains unbuttoned. He looks like he might have stepped out of an ad for some sort of Jungle Adventure book or the like, he definitely has the wild man visage to him. And on his arms and neck she can likely see the hints of a broad pattern of a tattoo.
    "Nothing magical?" He asks at first eyeballing her and lifting a hand, "You're a," He waggles fingers a little as if casting a spell. "Magic person?"
    He makes a small 'hnh' of sound as he murmurs, "That might make it easier."
    But then he turns his attention fully back on her. "You didn't notice anything strange, or the owners have been acting normal since you've known them? Nothing out of the ordinary?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Sure, magic 'person', we'll call it that," Nessa chuckles, the hand still resting on her hip. While she doesn't exactly know who might be standing there, he certainly seems to be concerned or investigating something. She glances back towards the diner, then back at him. "They weren't there today, I usually see them when I come in. I get a call, I come in. Most of the time if they're short-staffed they'll be there too. Weren't today. I imagine they were busy or something. You think there's something off? If you give me an idea of what you might be looking for, maybe I can help."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "My name's Arthur," He introduces himself, so at least he's that polite. He casts his gaze away from her and towards the diner, then back. One eyebrow, the one with the scar that bisects it, quirks as he looks to her and murmurs. "I'm one of the Justice League people. There was this thing."
    He says that with some seriousness, even if he's describing just a 'thing'. "I was following it and the signal cut out around here. Don't know if this is where it hides, or where it keeps itself or whatever. Maybe it just got loose and ditched the receiver or broke it. But I'm stuck here trying to figure it out."
    He squints at her sidelong, "I might end up going into the tunnels under here, but if you've seen anything out of the ordinary. And I'm talking /anything/ tell me right now, and it'll be a big help."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I'm Nessa," Nessa replies in greeting, though his mention of being 'one of the Justice League people' gets her attention not because he's one of them but as to the casual way he mentions it. Like it's no big deal and not one he's worried about. Oddly, that seems to get a bit of respect. "Okay, a thing, got it," she's following so far. "Well, other than the owners not being here, it was a pretty usual, busy day. People seemed fine, staff seemed fine, food quality was good... nothing jumped out at me as odd." She gestures over to the entrance to the diner. "If you wanna take a quick peek I can bring you inside. They're not going to make a fuss if I'm the one taking you back." She pauses. "This the kind of thing that can hide or the kind of thing that's pretty obviously a /monster/? Just trying to help."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Is that a thing?" Arthur asks as he steps toward her, features animated as his yellow/gold eyes flit back and forth looking into either of her irises. "Are they usually around? The sort that sticks to it or do they go hands off a lot?" As if for some reason this answer might well mean something.
    But when she suggests going back into the place his attention turns toward the restaurant and the people visible in the windows of the cafe. He crinkles his nose, "Yeah might be a good idea if you can show me the place a bit."
    There's a pause then he nods to her, "And the basement. If it has one." Which for some reason is important too. But when she asks her question he shakes his head, "Not entirely sure, working a hunch here."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Yeah, they're usually here on days where they are short-staffed... which is when I come in. So them not being here is a bit unusual, sure. They're the type to get their hands dirty when things are extra busy. Family run kind of thing, you know? It's why I don't mind filling in." Nessa shifts her weight, tugging on the cuff of one of her gloves a bit before she looks towards the restaurant again. "But yeah, I can show you around, there's no harm in that. There's a basement used for storage, it's usually locked though. I'd have to ask for the key, but I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem." It's still an odd thing, but she's been in weirder situations pursuing magical things. "Just try and give me a heads up if your 'thing' is about to bite my head off, 'kay?"

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "That sounds bad." The tall Atlantean says as he shakes his head, scowling a little as if this whole thing was just a nasty taste in the back of his throat. He pauses and shakes his head again with a hint of a scowl, then tells her, "Alright."
    Looking thoughtful as he walks toward the front door of that diner, Arthur answers her with a casual aplomb that some might find off-putting. She asks for a heads up, he tells her, "No promises."
    Though with that said he takes the steps up to the front door and pulls it open for her to precede him. And once she's inside he'll walk along after her, putting on a normallish smile that might pass the muster.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
No promises? "Thanks, Justice League," Nessa mutters as she re-enters the front door. She moves towards the back of the diner, leading the way as she gestures towards the kitchen. "Kitchen's over here." She steps aside for half a second, talking to the hostess before getting a set of keys from her. "We can take a peek into the basement too," she directs towards him. "You got lucky that you ran into me, you might have had to swing around that Justice League clout to just waltz right into the basement." Not that he's not already doing that a bit. As she moves through the kitchen, careful of those working there currently, she makes her way towards the basement.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    To be fair he's trying. It shows in the way he gives a smile to the hostess and a respectable nod in turn, as if adopting the persona of a police officer somehow mentally. He even tells her, "Ma'am." Since that's what you say to people when you're being polite.
    That done he follows after Nessa and into the back, stepping around the waiting station, the prep area, pausing to sniff a little at the pie that's under glass before he turns his attention back to the young woman who is showing him around.
    "Yeah, trust me I love to swing around that clout." He says as he moves to the door that leads to the basement he'll pause there and give her a glance as if asking her if this is it? And likely he gets a glance back signaling that it is. For that's the moment he rests a hand on the knob, then pulls the door open. And with that reaches for the lights next to the stairs.
    With a flash and a flicker the lights come on, casting long shadows down in the depths of the basement. A few steps carry him down then over his shoulder he calls, "Man, remind me not to eat here." The jerk.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa watches Arthur like a hawk. It's almost the way you watch a toddler who's about to trip over some wooden blocks. "I'm sure you do, you barely even mentioned it to me outside," she points out, unlocking the door before letting him lead the way into the basement. She follows, rolling her eyes. "I'll be certain to remind you all the repeated times I run into you after this, Arthur. The cooks here must do a terrible job." The sarcasm there is rich, her pace carrying her the few steps down behind him. "Can't tell if you're trying to be serious or just purposefully being an ass. Or both."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    In answer he swipes a finger over the top of one of the shelves as he walks past it on the steps, descending with a few footfalls. He then shows her the fingertip covered with a bit of dust and grease? So ok it's not the cleanest basement in the world. But she might be able to perceive the slight smirk on his lips, even if he's walking along ahead of her.
    Until he sets foot on the cement floor and looks around, ducking his head a little since the ceiling is a touch low in that basement. Rows and rows of shelves, storage bins, old equipment. It's not exactly a picture of cleanliness, but it's not the worst to be seen that much is certain.
    "You might want to stay up top." He tells her even as he starts to walk along and poke around, frowning to himself as he picks up an old can of coffee and shakes it, "Coffee still comes in cans?" Shows what he knows.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"This is the first time I've even seen the basement. It's not normal storage, really." Nessa eyes him as he explores, a hand on her hip again. "When's the last time you've even been in a diner? You think they've got the budget or time for freshly ground coffee?" The warning as to staying up is half-heeded. She makes her way down the stairs a touch, but not all the way. Wouldn't want him to trip over any wooden blocks, after all. "You gonna clue me in on what we're looking for or do I get to stand here?"

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Right now?" Arthur asks her over his shoulder, still fiddling around and poking his head into things. He opens a plastic storage container and sniffs it then makes a face as he quickly closes it. "Slime."
    He tells her that single word and likely expecting her to echo it back to him he repeats, "Yes, slime."
    Even as he heads over to the far wall of the basement and rests a hand upon it, running his finger over the grooves and then lightly thumping a fist against the cement near one of the electrical outlets. "Which." He adds, "I am not seeing. Which is good for your place of work. Bad for my search."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Ah, that's your problem then," Nessa points out. "You're not looking for something in the basement, you're looking for something in the /bathroom/." She sounds amused. "Even the best diner food is greasy. That doesn't always sit with everyone. Keeping a diner's bathroom clean is the hardest job in the entire place. If you're looking for some kind of weird slime ooze? Definitely a diner bathroom." She gestures back up the stairs. "I can show you that if you'd prefer."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Reason number two for not eating here," Arthur says to himself even as he turns around and looks back at Nessa. He shakes his head, "Nah. I think this is good."
    Arthur steps back towards the stairs and gives her a nod. "Still." He reaches into his pocket and grabs his phone, swiping it to life with the brush of a thumb and then telling her. "Here, here's my information. Keep an eye on things, something weird goes on with your bosses or you see weird slime call me, take a photo of it, whatever. Then contact me."
    And should she be willing and have bluetooth he'll whoosh his number over to her and gives a nod. "I... need to get somewhere else for now."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Right, I'm so sorry they've lost your patronage," Nessa shakes her head a little, looking back at him. She checks her phone once the information is exchanged, and she shrugs a little. "I'll keep an eye out. Should there be some weird slime I'll be sure you're the first to know." She steps out of the way to guide him towards the exit. "Good luck with whatever slime's got your attention now, Justice League."