5937/Delectable Deli

Delectable Deli
Date of Scene:	14 April 2021
Location:	Katz's Deli
Synopsis:	A rainy night brings Knox, Heather, Viola, Rahne and Piotr together by chance at Katz's Deli.
Cast of Characters:	Viola Fiore, Knox Kennedy, Heather Danielson, Rahne Sinclair, Piotr Rasputin

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Viola Fiore has posed:
It's evening on a Tuesday. The thickest part of the dinner crowd has started to clear out, but not so late that restaurants aren't still doing a brisk business despite a bit of rain outside that drove into their homes more people than normal this time of night.

The doors to Katz's Deli open and Viola Fiore steps inside. She's wearing a pair of jeans and boots, with a t-shirt and then a blue cotton shirt worn overtop and left unbuttoned. She steps in, shaking out her collapsible umbrella just outside the door before folding it up and fastening the little tie about to help keep it compact. She steps away from the door to make room for anyone else coming in as she glances around at the half-crowded deli.

Knox Kennedy has posed:
Third time is the charm. After the undesirable outcome with the Human Torch and the unexpected intervention of Spider-man, Knox finally managed a successful heist. Some overly privileged wolf of Wall Street was down a few baubles, and Knox was significantly richer. This meant he could pig out. Katz seemed like the perfect option.

Dressed appropriately for a cool New York evening, Knox pushes through the door wearing a grey sweater jacket, blue jeans, and black boots. His short black hair is recently trimmed if slightly damp. A few days of stubble still adorn his jaw and cheeks. He inhales and sighs at smell of good food. He steps to the opposite side of the door away from Viola and murmurs, "Been waiting all week for this."

Giving the deli a quick scan like he expects another random vigilante to ruin his evening, his eyes settle briefly on Viola. He offers a grin and a head nod, "Think you were first, I'm heading to the sandwich station myself, but I didn't want to cut."

Heather Danielson has posed:
    Deli. Yum. Heather's been in town for one of her charity events... and she just escaped the asylum, er.. the formal gala. Sure, they have food there, but it's all so hoity toity. As such, she finds herself in desperate need of a burger. Oh, and maybe some chili cheese fries. Maybe two shakes too!
    Either way, she changed and went for a walk. So with her own distressed jeans, halter top, and leather jacket.. she makes for the nearest greasy spoon. Katz's!
    She steps inside and takes a deep breath, "Oh god, the burgers even -smell- divine here." She murmurs before moving towards the counter to place her order.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola glances over as the door opens behind her, eyes taking in Knox as he enters and moves to the other side to be out of the way. She apparently catches the comment about how long he's been waiting to go there. "It's just a little bit of New York," she says to him of the deli, flashing him a soft grin.

Her eyes go to Heather as she arrives. "I should probably move along and not block the entrance," she says, nodding towards Heather in a friendly way. "Sandwich is what I was thinking too," she tells Knox then, along with a, "Thank you," as he waits for her to go first.

She moves over to station along the outside of the room. "I'll have the roast beef and bacon, cheddar, and chipotle mayo," she orders.

The man nods and asks, "What kind of bun?"

It only takes Viola a moment to decide on sourdough. The man starts making her sandwich as she pauses to peruse the chilled beverages they have in bottles nearby.

Knox Kennedy has posed:
Knox nods, "Yea, it is, but I've been low on scratch all week, and there's a Reuben with my name on it."

He turns and offers Heather a quick look. He's evidently fair but not chivalrous. He's next after Viola, waiting patiently and then placing his order. "Reuben please. Traditional. I know I don't have to tell you all how to make it."

Looking once more toward Heather, he comments, "I bet the burger is good, but it's a deli.. pastrami is where it's at."

Knox waits eagerly as the sandwich is assembled, accepts it, and then heads over briefly to the dessert display to grab a cheese cake slice. Last, he rejoins Viola nearby, looking for an ice tea to snatch.

Heather Danielson has posed:
    With a shrug, Heather smirks, "Long as you can put bacon on it, nearly anything is edible. And only one thing makes bacon better.." She looks towards the counterperson, "More bacon, right?" she asks before she shrugs, "I'll take a double burger, medium rare with bacon, bacon, and more bacon. Oh, plus pickles. Then add some bacon." she remarks.
    Then she looks to the others and gives an awkward grin, "I'm hungry. What?" she asks. Though, she is all over the news some days since she's a public metahuman, Titan, and all that. Kinda hard to maintain a secret ID when your powers emerged in the middle of a photo shoot with dozens of witnesses.
    "Oh, and a Doctor Pepper." she adds.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola chuckles and tells Knox, "I know the feeling," after hearing he was low on money earlier in the week. Her sandwich gets made and she takes the plate with a, "Thank you," given to the man. She moves back to the beverages, hand hovering over a few bottles before finally settling on a raspberry iced tea.

She picks it up and glances down to Heather, chuckling as she hears about the woman's love for bacon. "Order it enough and they might add bacon with a side of burger to the menu," she teases in a warm voice.

Viola goes and pays for her meal, then carries the plate and bottle over to a table. Most of the small tables are taken so she ends up at a larger one with empty chairs.

Knox Kennedy has posed:
Knox finally recognizes Heather and deadpans for a moment. He mentally rants about another damn vigilante hero. At least this time, he wasn't planning on doing anything illegal. Just the same, Heather gets a somewhat intense stare from his purple gaze. Taking a deep breath, he regains his cool. "That's definitely a mountain of meat you've got there."

After paying for his meal and adding a cookie from register to accompany his Reuben and cheese cake slice, he goes to find a place to sit. Noticing the small tables are pretty much taken, he ends up sitting on the opposite side of the large table from Viola. He grins, "Hope you don't mind. Its busier then I expected, and I don't want to stand and eat."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
A bus outside pulls up, the brakes making that audible sound they do when pulling over. Someone disembarks, a thing which happens with predictable frequency, and shortly afterward the door outside opens allowing ingress for a smol.

Only the top of the head is visible for a moment, til it passes by the patrons at the front of the deli. Then what seems to be a redhead girl (or boy?) with a pixie cut starts looking into the deli displays. Visibly looking back at a list she has in her hand, she glances in again. List, deli racks, back again. She seems oddly flustered.

Heather Danielson has posed:
    "I need a lot of calories. It kind of makes all my friends sick." offers Heather with a shrug. "But I consider it the best part of having such a metabolism as mine." She lays a credit card on the counter and adds, "As long as I am having bacon, I am happy. And when I am happy..." she shrugs, "I'd like to pay everyone's check please." she says with a bright and perky smile to the cashier. "No rush. Take your time... with everything except food preparation."
    And.. then she gets the Mountain 'o bacon burger delivered, and she literally salivates at the sight of it. "Oh mama, where have you -been- all my life?" she asks the plate.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola Fiore looks surprised as the woman behind Knox volunteers to pick up the tab. There's been nothing from Viola to suggest she recognizes the Titan. "Oh. Wow, well thank you. That's very kind of you," she says, giving Heather a big smile.

When she's settled, and Knox comes over asking if he can sit there, Viola motions towards the seat with a gesturing hand. "Please do. I always feel like I must look so sad when I'm eating alone," she says with a lighthearted chuckle.

When Heather gets her food and is looking for a table, Viola will wave to her and motion towards one of the seats at the table as well, paying back the kindness by inviting her over.

A glance is given towards the newer arrivals to the deli, eyes going to Rahne once she's visible, though Viola soon focusing back on her food as she puts a napkin in her lap.

Knox Kennedy has posed:
When he hears Heather offering to pay the check, he cups a hand to his mouth, "If she's paying, just refund my card."

He gets a little bit of an eye roll from the cashier but a head nod. Knox waggles his eyebrow toward Heather and vocalizes a 'Thanks' before turning to face Viola again. "Well, guess my scratch problems are solved. I get to repeat my food adventure again."

Knox chuckles a little bit and nods in agreement, "Yea, I always wonder if I'm doing something wrong when I eat alone at a restaurant, but I guess we all get use to it."

The nervous Rahne gets a side glance, "It was definitely awkward my first time ordering solo. I had to get it to go and run outside."

He turns back to face Viola as he talks. There's a faint grimace as she invites Heather over. Not very thankful of Knox, he covers up the discomfort quickly.

Heather Danielson has posed:
    Nodding to Viola, Heather picks up her bacon laden burger on a plate, and heads that way. "Just keep runnin' that card for folks until I finish and leave, okay?" she asks the cashier before she saunters on over and places her plate on the table. She looks to Knox and shrugs, "For me, eating is more about the food than the company. But.." she grins to Viola, "The right company can make it even better, right?" She asks as she parks her butt in a chair.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
The youth, in the vicinity of five foot tall, glances over toward Knox as she's addressed. She opens her mouth to answer, then Heather speaks and Rahne's mouth hangs open a moment longer. She slowly closes it, uncertain what to do with words for a moment or two.

Then she holds out a fistful of bills of some denomination and says, "Ah was sent aoan a mission. Ah hae tae ride th' bus an' gie ham, an' nae oan yer bike. Es thes enaw money?"

Her accent is rough, she's clearly from out of town. And it positively reeks of Scotland. And she's holding hundred dollar bills, someone is likely playing a prank on the kid.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
A slight creek of the door, and in steps Piotr out of the rain. He pauses for a second and wipes some of the water from his brow with one hand and then glances around. A hand on his stomach as he begins to move through the diner to be seated and get himself a meal when his mouth spreads in a bit of a smile as he notices people he has met before.

"Hello, it has been some time." the Russian mutant greets Rahne before he glances over to Rahne and provides an arch of his brow, perhaps a bit confused. "Are you alright?" he wonders as he sort of drifts her way.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola smiles as the generous woman paying for everyone takes the seat at the table. "Yes, a pleasant conversation can definitely be a nice spice for a meal," she agrees with Heather.

The sandwich that Viola got awaits her, the sourdough bun having soaked up the grease from the bacon and roast beef. The whole thing just smelling heavenly. Viola picks it up and takes a bite, letting out a happy sigh as she takes a moment to just savor the flavor.

Viola glances over towards where Rahne is having the difficulty with the exchange rate. The clerk at the station says, "Sure, how much ham do ya want?" in his own thick New York accent. He uses the knife he's holding to gesture off towards the tables where Heather sits now. "Lady ahead of you said she's paying for everyone, so you can put your money away."

Viola glances over as the Scottish lass has a friend join her. The difference in their sizes draws a small smile from her.

Knox Kennedy has posed:
The mental commentary continues with a repeating chant of -I'm sitting next to a Titan-. It wasn't that he was against heroes. People needed saving. It's just been a bad week for heroes. Well, this one is all smiles and generosity, so the least he could do is return a smile to Heather. He nods to her, "Thanks for the food."

Knox gawks at Rahne and clearly doesn't understand a word she just said. He looks at the wad of hundred dollar bills and looks frightened. He gestures her over. "Quick... Quick.. before you get yourself mugged."

Then Piotr arrives, and he seems to recognize the girl. "Well, scratch getting mugged if that guy is your buddy." He chuckles a little nervously and looks to Viola, "I'm I right or what?"

Finally, he gets to chowing down on his own food. He carefully picks up the Reuben, pushes the slices of bread together and takes a big bite of pastrami and sour kraut. A deep moan of appreciation rolls in his chest. He seems to be in heaven..

Heather Danielson has posed:
    And that is when Heather digs in. Her teeth close on that heavenly burger, and she closes her eyes to enjoy the flavor. Then she hears Piotr's distinctive rumble of a voice, and her smile turns to an urchin grin.
    "Hiya muscles!" she calls out before turning her head and giving him a look at her profile, "OH hey, who's your friend?" she asks, "And... I'm sorry, I think the only word in any of that I caught was.. ham." she says towards Rahne.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Little Redhead hood looks a bit confused. She pauses, seems to sniff the air (?) and then turns her head before Piotr actually speaks. Bit odd, but hardly the strangest thing to happen tonight; someone's giving away money after all!

Still. She smiles this beatific, wonderfully joyful smile up at Piotr and the surprising thing is that she -doesn't- offer a hug, she seems so happy to see him! "Aye, sor," she says, then she glances about again. Ah. People talking to her.

She frowns slightly, that wonderfully honest smile vanishing, and then she seems to take a moment to think. Then to nod, and to try again. With what appears to be careful enunciation.

"I wos sent tae buy ham?" Then, after a moment's thought, she adds, "I think ah ken thae et wos tae teach me tae use th' bus, really, though. Th' school dinnae need more ham."

Then she looks at the nice vendor, and looks a little boggled. "Ah. Jes' one please," she says. One ham? One gram of ham? A pound? She's not doing much better, apparently.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
A large hand rises and runs through Piotr's hair, "You were sent to buy Ham? That seems....well, unusual, but..." he sort of trails off as he eyes Rahne curiously and just chuckles. "Perhaps there was some miss somewhere? Either way, I'm sure we will get it sorted straight away." he assures her.

The large Russian glances over to Heather for a brief moment as well and reminds, "Every time I meet you its in a place of dining. Perhaps there is reason for that? What I do not know." his gaze sweeping over to Knox, "Yeah, no mugging of friends." but he doesn't truly seem worried in the least, and given his size, for a reason perhaps.

Viola Fiore has posed:
The man at the meat station tilts his head as he looks at Rahne. "You want a pound? Or a whole ham to go? Or a dinner special?" he asks her, motioning with the knife towards where the ham is set, amongst several other types of meat.

Viola, meanwhile, gives Knox a soft grin. "You definitely aren't wrong," she agrees with him about his advice on avoiding muggings, as well as his evaluation of the man with the Russian accent. Viola glances over again, looking up at how he towers over the Scottish lass.

Viola takes another bite of her sandwich, then opens her raspberry tea to take a sip. Meanwhile, the couple who were sitting over at 'The Table' rise to leavel. Immediately a trio of other couples make a move to rush over to try to snag it!

Knox Kennedy has posed:
Knox seems relieved that Rahne is getting things sorted out and has the intimidatingly large Piotr nearby to insure she's not mugged for that fat wad of benjamins she's waving around.

Purple gaze shifting to all the new arrivals, he assumes the table is going to get a bit more packed and shifts on his seat to stay in his appointed square of elbow room all the while chomping down ravenously on his Reuben sandwich.

It doesn't take very long for the pastrami monster to be dispatched. In culinary triumph, he uncaps his bottle of tea and takes a sip before unsheathing a plastic spork to begin attacking his cheese cake slice.

Knox side eyes the rushing couples and rolls his eyes, "I just don't get it. Was that movie that good?" He clearly never saw it, but he'd been to Katz enough to know it was a thing.

Heather Danielson has posed:
    "It really -was- that good." offers Heather to Knox before she calls back to Piotr, "I eat a lot!" And with that, she gestures at the burger she has that is essentially oozing bacon out of its sides. "See?!" she asks before taking a large bite. Nothing dainty about this midwestern gal.
    But she chews without speaking for a few moments before gesturing to the table next to the one occupied by Viola, Knox, and her. One that was just suddenly vacated in the rush to get -the- table. "Looks like there's some seats here for you two." She suggests.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne has a short conversation with the clerk, where she learns how ham is measured and weighed. He seems to be able to handle her accent with ease, and she relaxes visibly when she learns what she needs to learn. Shortly she's given a few grams of ham, enough for a decent sandwich, and she pays (she insists! It's her mission!) for it even though Heather is paying.

Then she turns back, after thanking the man in Scottish, and looks to Knox and the table. She glances up to Piotr as if to get permission, then approaches 'the table'.

"Thank ye." She's looking at Knox. "For carin'. An' tryin' tae help." Then she looks at them all, and her cheeks seem warm. She seems so damn formal!

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Pausing slightly, Piotr makes sure there is room for him comfortably before joining the table. "Ah, that looks delicious, Bacon?" he responds to Heather. "I may have to see to something myself...I was considering going healthy but..." it seems Heather may be a bad influence in that regard.

To Rahne he offers a smile, her sincere smile gives him pause, not in a bad way as if judgemental, just to take it in. He then turns to the others. "Seems I had decent timing on arriving...just in time to...not help with the Ham, it figured itself out." he remarks.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Like most of life's struggles, there are winners and losers. The winning couple manage to get one ass cheek on one of the chairs, and occupy the other completely, resulting in the woman who reached the first chair at the same time relenting. The winners settle in, talking excitedly. The husband seems to be trying to goad the woman into doing Meg Ryan's bit, resulting in blushes.

Viola gives a soft chuckle. "Movie was pretty good. Though the scene itself was iconic," she tells Knox. The young woman eyes up for a moment. "Why, you didn't enjoy hearing her go on like that?" she asks in a teasing voice.

The Italian-American young woman returns her attention to her sandwich, taking another bite. Viola gives Rahne a soft smile as she takes the seat, as if to help put the blushing girl at ease.

Knox Kennedy has posed:
He nods to Heather as he chews on a mouthful of cheese cake. After swallowing, he replies, "Well, I guess that's another movie for the list. Would you put it above or below Ghostbusters?"

Knox looks a little embarrassed when he receives a thank you from Rahne. He blinks and wipes his mouth with a napkin. "Uh yea... don't mention it." He flicks his wrapped cookie toward her. "Here... have a chocolate chip."

He looks up at Piotr, its still a little up even with them all sitting. "Who knows. Might have been some kid ready to grab and dash with her ham money. We'll never know now."

Humming toward Viola, he considers. "I saw the scene on YouTube. I think for most cis straight guys, that clip is a little bit erotic and little bit unnerving. Guess that's what makes it iconic comedy."

Pausing, he licks his spork free of cheese cake. "Though I'll tell you something maybe equally funny... the first time I came here... not knowing about -the table" He murmurs, "My face when a random stranger is pretending to have an orgasm.".

Heather Danielson has posed:
    Let's be honest, Heather can be a bad influence to a lot of people in a lot of ways. But also a good influence in much the same way. Either way, she is not one to eat especially healthy. She -needs- calories. And bacon has fat, fat has calories. Badda-boom - badda-bing.
    But she looks to Viola and suggests, "I could go on like that but... eh, it's not like I have a plethora of life experiences to draw upon, eh?" she asks, eyes sparkling as she tries to keep her face straight.
    Then she uses Piotr's and Rahne's arrivals as distractions for her own emotional state. "So, Piotr.." She says, using his name very formally. "We never got that workout, did we?" she asks before she thinks her words through. That could totally be interpreted badly. So she blushes, "I mean... yes, you should -totally- get a burger."
    And then the question is asked, "Below Ghostbusters. But in all honesty, all movies are below The Princess Bride. Just sayin'."

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Rahne looks at the offered cookie, her hand tensing as she refrains from reaching for it. "Um...am alleargic tae chocolate," she says, her lips twisting. She's allergic, to chocolate. Thud.

She listens to the ongoing conversation, and when 'orgasms' are mentioned, she literally goes white. Then she looks at the crew, between the three of them, and puts her hands over her mouth.

"Laird, do ye have no shame?" she asks, out loud, then bites her lip.

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola reacts to hearing about Rahne's chocolate allergy with appropriate horror and sympathy. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry!" she says, shaking her head sadly.

She looks back to Knox to add her verdict to what Heather said. "Ghostbusters higher up, definitely. Better movie. Several iconic moments too while this one had just the one," she shares.

Viola picks up her sandwich, but then Rahne's horror over the talk of orgasms catches her by surprise. "Oh, no..." Viola tells her gently. "There is a famous movie that was filmed here. Meg Ryan? She pretended to have a very loud... one of those... to prove to Billy Crystal's character that men can't necessarily tell when women are faking. The scene took place at that table right there," she says, motioning. The table has a sign to mark it as such as well.

Knox Kennedy has posed:
Knox accepts the advice on movies from Heather while he eats another morsel of cheesecake. He raises an eyebrow at Rahne, nods, and retrieves his cookie, slipping it into a pocket for later.

"Well, for the record, not really. Shame requires humility, and I'm a bit lacking in that department." He grins then thumbs toward Viola who explains the situation.

"Blame the brazen nature of Hollywood on this one, not me." He chuckles and grabs a piece of cheesecake crust between his fingers, slipping it between his lips.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
Picking up the context, Rahne seems no less embarrassed. Eyes wide, she lifts her left hand and scratches the back of her head, shifting the weight on her feet from side to side. Then she says, softly, "Ah," then adds, "Nae much o' a movie watcher either." She looks up, noting that Piotr has gone quiet, then sighs.

She looks at Viola, then gives what amounts to a shy smile. Sympathy gets attention, it seems. But she addresses Knox's point. "Humility is hard, es pure true. Ef ye manage tae learn et, will make ye better though. Ah hope ye both hae a good and blessed life."

Wait, she thinks that they're dating? Are they dating?

Viola Fiore has posed:
Viola finishes her sandwich and sips the rapidly emptying bottle of flavored tea. "It's a fairly cute movie. Two people who meet and keep ending up back together in contact with each other over the years," she says.

Viola moves her napkin from her lap to her empty plate and says, "And sometimes brazen actions are what lead to wonderful moments," Viola says. She rises from her seat and pulls something from her purse as she passes by Knox's chair. She sets down a business card there with a smile to the man.

No, not dating. But who knows.

Knox Kennedy has posed:
"Mmm.. My life is blessed and cursed in its own ways, but I don't see humility helping me too much. I do know I have limits in a pinch, but give me enough time to plan... And the sky is not even a limit." He polishes off his cheesecake then looks in some confusion between Viola and Rahne.

"Wait, huh?" Knox looks down at the card and grins a little bit. He waves a hand over it and in a feat of sleight of hand, its tucked up a sweater sleeve. He'd send the complimentary text later to make sure his contact information was shared.

He rises from his chair, "My name's Knox..." He mentions to Rahne. "Stay with your big friend here until you get back to where ever... and don't flash that kind of cash in public. Seriously, its dangerous."

He pushes past her and heads for the door, unwrapping his cookie.

Rahne Sinclair has posed:
"Ah be Rain," Rahne seems to say, as Knox and Viola head off. She looks a little sad, left with the silent giant. But she doesn't mind too much, taking Piotr's hand to help him get home. We all know how much he needs to be protected, after all.

She does stand there, in the sprinkling rain, and waits for the bus. To get back to school, to her life. "Humility," she says, mostly to herself. "Huh."

Then she too, is gone.