6595/Journey to the Onion Maiden

Journey to the Onion Maiden
Date of Scene:	17 June 2021
Location:	Cathedral Square - Founders Island
Synopsis:	Outsiders, Assemble! (At the vegan hard-rock themed food truck!). Cheetahs are disgussed.
Cast of Characters:	Phoebe Beacon, Laura Kinney, Tim Drake, Bart Allen, Strix

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Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Gotham isn't normally a great city for walking. It's still rated pretty high for the usual -- muggings, random violence, clown based gang attacks, the occasional giant unknown creature lurking the sewers -- the normal.

    However, the youngest member of the Outsiders was feeling particularly hopeful after sorting out paperwork downtown that changed her from 'probably deceased in Montana' to 'Alive, in Gotham, with a PO box instead of an address' -- and there was a Vegan-friendly food truck called the Onion Maiden that was calling her name.

    So she had pestered a couple of folks to see if anyone wanted to join her for 'assuredly not the worst vegan food you've ever had'. It's Asian fusion, with a section of alleyway cleared out with clean(ish) crates that could be used for sitting on and -- if you're brave enough -- dining on.

    Dark eyes glittering with absolute glee, her hair pulled back into a pair of puffs rather than her normal box braids, wearing a dark gray and slightly threadbare at the elbows GOTHAM U sweatshirt and jeans, the young Outsider was in casual mode.

    And it showed; the aura around her is making pretty much everyone feel a little more hopeful than usual. She is positively glowing with happiness.

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura isn't really picky about what makes up her food. So long as it's not bland and even then that's not a huge problem. Not when she has her home made hot sauce handy. Which also doubles as a very handy chemical weapon to use on any muggers foolish enough to stop them on the way over.

The mutant ex-assassin is dressed in a non-descript black t-shirt and yoga pants combo. Along with a hoodie for if it gets rainy. Or she needs to walk through an area with working CCTV.

Her mood, in stark contrast to her teammate, can best be described as wary. So.. it's really just a typical day for her. It always pays to be ready to disappear into a crowd when you're technically still wanted by who knows how many law enforcement groups!

Tim Drake has posed:
Hello, fellow GOTHAM U kid. Another student sporting similar wear (though his sweatshirt has the Nighthawks logo for one of the sports teams he's has assuredly never gone to a game of) slots himself into place at Phoebe's side, opposite Laura. He's got wide-frame sunglasses on that don't quite hide the tired bruising under his eyes.
    "Summer classes, right?" he commiserates, like they're totally just two randos from the same school who've ran into each other in line for this food truck. But then he bumps elbows with her and smiles, leaning forward to favor Laura with a wiggle of his fingers in greeting.
    His shoulders are already loosening just a touch, and he looks up to consider the menu like he totally didn't consult the food truck's website on the way over and hasn't pre-planned his order. This *is* Tim Drake we're talking about, here. His somehow-still-pristine trainers scuff at the ground and manage to not get a speck of grime on them, like he's willing the dirt away by sheer force of stubborness. In Gotham that's probably the only way you *can* keep your shoes clean. Or, like, developing a very specific footwear-related metahuman power.
    "What're you two having?" Tim asks, hand already reaching into his back pocket as he starts walking forward. This isn't the field but he's already taking charge... mostly because his stomach is making some suspiciously loud gurgling sounds. Look, energy drinks and stress are a staple senior engineering student diet, okay?

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen comes walking up towards the area. He is just off work, and is wearing his brown Gotham Zoo shorts and shirt. Brown boots covering his feet. He may have hurried here but has been walking for the last two blocks or so. "Hey guys." He calls out.

Strix has posed:
Being able to walk around in Gotham free of the Court of Owls has been a joy for Strix, despite the muggings, random violence, clown based gang attacks, and the occasional giant unknown creature lurking the sewers. Mostly because she's one of the deadliest assassins in the city. Sure she's been mugged a couple of times and the poor guys who did it usually ended up not being able to walk for a couple of months. The violence doesn't bother her, in fact it's like a refreshing breath of air from time to time.

She's dressed in her usual attire. Overalls over a plain white tee, sneakers, and her head wrapped haphazardly with bandages to hide her scars. While this causes some heads to turn, Strix doesn't really pay it any mind as she enjoys her freedom.

She sees a food truck, with quite a few people milling about it, therefore it must be delicious. Feeling a little peckish herself she goes to stand in line.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    More like 'highschooler with a donated sweatshirt', but Phoebs *never* discusses her financials with the team. THat would be crass. Or she'd be told to knock over some gangs with guns, and that's just a step she's not ready for yet.

    "Hey, Tim." Phoebe greets Drake with a little grin, and she stirs her bowl.
    "Ah, I got the Straight To Hell, but I promise whatever you order is going to be good -- this is the one vegan food truck that doesn't do boring. Other than FalaffelVan, but that--" she pauses dramatically, sitting up straight "Is a league of its own. So much garlic in the hummus..." she trails off a moment, looking into the distance as if remembering something, then continues "The EMperor Palpatots are good, but I think they made the lentil chili spicier than usual, in case you're not on the same level of Livin' It Up as we are." she gives a teasing grin to Tim, and shows two empty hotsauce packets that she's put into her noodles.

    Seeing Bart making an arrival, the young Outsider gives a wave. "Hey, Bart! How are the baby cheetahs? Are they still cute as anything? ... any new pics?" she asks, all smiles -- until she pauses, and straightens up, looking to the one with the bandages all over their head -- Mary. Well... of course, Mary's never met Phoebe, only ever Balm -- but she's good with the Bats... right?

    "Try the tots!" she calls out to the bandaged one, giving a toast of her iced tea.

    "This... is nice. Being able to be out without fear."

Laura Kinney has posed:
Clearly Laura would never tell Phoebe to rob a gang with guns. Both arms and drug dealers are better targets! And raiding them helps to reduce crime overall. Except perhaps crimes against arms and drug dealers.

She shrugs when Tim offers to pay. "I'll be having..." her hand darts down the menu picking out six different items. "Those." Healing factors are energy intensive!

Bart gets a nod of greeting while the other newcomer, a stranger to X-23, gets a suspicious look. She takes a few sniffs of the air, checking for traces of guns & explosives, then shrugs when Phoebe shouts a friendly recommendation.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Yep, Tim totally knew Phoebe already had food. Just offering to be nice! And also because, y'know, team cash cow. He has zero issues with that part of his Outsiders responsibilities, even if it's in a decidely not-official capacity. Though knowing Tim he's probably already has some statistics about the net benefits to team cohesion from shared meals or something in his head somewhere. Quantitative data.

    Briefly, he lifts the Gotham Knights (okay, he's *probably* been to a few of those games) cap off his head to sweep his fringe back up into it. He clocks Mary's approach, and then dips his sunglasses down onto his nose a bit to look towards his fellow Outsiders that tries to give a general sense of "be chill but attentive" to them. Given that his baby blues are usually hidden behind a mask of some kind, though, that level of non-verbal communication might not exist between them. And then the person in front of him in the queue shuffles out of the way, and it's his turn to order.
    "Hey, I can handle spicy things," he says. Not that he puts his money where his mouth is. He also sadly does not try the tots. Tots are fried. He looks longingly towards them but instead orders himself a disgustingly healthy kale salad and a sparkling water, along with Laura's six things and then, that's when Tim looks over his shoulder at Bart with a lift of his hand towards the menu. Like, all of it? He kind of assumes Bart wants all of it.
    He pulls a black card out of his wallet and taps it against the screen, before obligingly scooting his way off to the side with the little buzzer palmed in his hand.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen does smirk a bit and says "Hey guys, and yea got a few new ones, they are doing well, mom is taking to them nicely. He looks over to Tim, and smirks "I'll start with the right side." He says to his bud and team leader. "Maybe a triple order of the tots." He says and walks over to Phoebe to show her the phone with pics. While walking over he does text the pictures to Irie with a "New arrivals at the zoo" tag line.

Strix has posed:
Strix blinks at Pheobe and nods in acknowledgement, still pouring over the menu while she waits her turn. Her eyes catch Tim looking at her and she gives him a curious raise of the eyebrow, and then it's her turn to order.

She looks at the menu one last time and when asked what she wants she points at a few things, including the tots. "What's the matter," says the guy manning the counter. "Can't talk?" She shakes her head in the negative and taps her throat, to indicate that, indeed, she can't talk. She pays with a wad of cash, and steps back to wait for her food to be prepared, rocking on her heels with her hands clasped behind her back.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    Phoebe already had food. Phoebe doesn't need anyone to purchase for her. She's a strong independant dependant minor who really probably shouldn't be doing what she's been doing nights.

    But to her Outsiders, she gives a smile.

    "See? Vegan food, not terrible. Even if the Cashew Cheese sauce takes a little getting used to--" she admits, being casual as she circles. Tim with his shades, Laura with her coolness, Bart with his work clothes, and Mary with her bandages.

    "I've met her." she states to Tim, very quietly. "She has a very adorable teddy-bear."

Laura Kinney has posed:
Laura totally did get the tots. Because why care if they're fried when you have a healing factor? It's probably one of the most unfair things about mutants like her. Eating whatever she wants and staying in peak condition.

No sooner has she got the food and she's adding extra spice. Plus combining things. Dipping tots into chili. All the dishes neatly arranged infront of her so she can defend them if needed. A holdover from a less than pleasant upbringing.

When Tim makes his be wary gesture she responds with a raised eyebrow. She sniffs the air again and frowns. Something certainly is a little odd about the newcomer.

Her voice a low murmur she notes "She's armed." without actually pausing in her meal.

Tim Drake has posed:
    The likely gobsmacked food truck worker gets a deadpan "He's a growing boy," from Tim after that monumental order. He's still turning the buzzer over in his hand as he finds an unoccupied crate to park his rear end on, which he does with a chest-heaving sigh. Legs tucked up into a fold, he watches, in his periphery and from behind his sunglasses as Strix puts her order in. A thoughtful thinning of his lips happens and then Tim's looking away, down at his smart watch, which he swipes his thumb against to clear whatever notification must have popped up.

    "Have they named the cubs yet?" he asks Bart, while trying to sort through his recent memories. Sometimes zoos do public polls when they're trying to decide on new baby names, but Tim hasn't been paying much attention to the entertainment section of the local news recently. That's what automated algorithms that flag articles based on carefully selected key words are for!

    He gives Phoebe and Laura both a nod of acknowledgment. "It's fine," he says, similarly sotto voce. "She's one of the good guys."

    And then, because Tim has made the crucial tactical error of thinking it was okay to sit down, their food order comes up. He shuffles off his crate to get his salad and canned sparkling water. "I'd struggle to hit my macros if I ate vegan all the time but sometimes it's the healthiest option on the menu." Still, he stabs his biodegradable fork into the pile of kale before him with something a bit like aggression, though he looks pleasantly surprised once he actually starts eating.

Bart Allen has posed:
Bart Allen looks over, and says "They did a poll when the mom was first going to have them, they got four names, but the mom surprised us and had 6, so deciding on names for the last two. We are probably going to have to help bottle feed them, as it is a large little for cheetahs.

Strix has posed:
Strix certainly isn't *acting* like a dangerous assassin. Not at all. She's just waiting for her food like everybody else who comes to a food truck. When it's her turn to take her food, she glances over at Laura and watches as she adds spice and stuff to her food. Mimicking the mutant, she adds a similar amount of spice to hers and steps back to look for a seat. Not really finding one she goes over to the large group of people and sets her food down like she belongs there, pretty as you please.

Once seated she pulls out a notepad, and flips through the pages until she finds the one she wants. Scribbled on it, in black marker and in child like font, is the message:

HI MY NAME
IS MARY

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "I know. She hasn't met me outside the mask yet." Phoebe states softly to Tim, and she lifts some noodles and hotsauce and peanuts and FORBIDDEN RICE puff to her face, as Mary makes her approach, and she gives a smile.

    "Hey!" she smiles at Mary. "C'mon, grab a seat, enjoy the simply b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l Gotham night. We don't get many like this," Phoebe points out. "Topic of discussion: Baby Cheetah Names. I fully support naming one 'Spot'. Or if you want a really great name? Shujaa." she gives a small look around the crate pile. "Or maybe Doa."

Laura Kinney has posed:
At least one of the things Laura is adding seems to be droplets from a bottle she brought with her. When Mary joins them the mutant teenager holds it up. An offer that she's welcome to add some if she likes. The fact the bottle looks like a vial of poison complete with warning label might however suggest it's better to decline.

"With any diet it's all about picking the right dishes to ensure you get all the nutrition you require. It's possible to do that and stick to a vegan lifestyle," she points out. "Still I do not understand why you would call it a cheese sauce if it contains no cheese. Wouldn't cashew sauce be more accurate?"

The cheetah talk draws a shrug. "Did you say if they Asiatic cheetahs or an African cheetahs? I would have thought it's impossible to pick a suitable name without knowing the specifics."

Chances are they are African cheetahs given how rare the alternative would be. But it's always good to be certain.

Tim Drake has posed:
    Tim blows out a breath. "You go, cat mom." He cracks open his sparkling water and then balances it on his knee rather than taking a sip right away. "Those are good. As long as they don't pull a Lion King and use the Swahili word for 'cheetah'," is his contribution to the overarching (cover) discussion. To Phoebe, he gives a quick up-down bump of his chin, clearly mulling over his response.

    Which ends up being a simple "Hey, Mary." He gets another forkful of kale ready to go down the hatch, but then says, "I think it's duma?" This is one of those times where he has no idea where that tidbit of information came from. And then Laura brings up an excellent point. "I know more Farsi than I do any of the literally thousands of languages native to Africa."

Strix has posed:
Strix grins at the welcome, and considers the bottle offered to her by Laura. She casually accepts the offer and, mimicking her again, only puts a couple of drops into her food. She stoppers it up and hands it back to Laura.

She ponders the question of what to call a cheetah. She flips through her notepad until she finds a blank page, and scribbles something on it.

CUDDLES?

It's the best she can come up with.

Then it's time to tuck into the food. First she noshes on some of the tots, and nods her head agreeing that these are most delightful. Then to her heavily spiced main dish. After taking a bite, her eyes widen in surprise, and she lets out a breath, trying to cool the tongue. She takes a sip of water and swishes it about it a bit, then nods, and then takes another bite, apparently enjoying pain.

Phoebe Beacon has posed:
    "Doa is 'Spot' in Swahili. Sujaa is 'Warrior' or 'Hero'. I had to learn a little to give a speech about it in middle school, due to 'the obvious factor'." Phoebe motions to her face and her kinked hair, her lips forming a straight line. "But I'm pretty fluent in Japanese, which surprises the heck out of people." she gives a grin, and looks to Mary.

    "Cuddles is a *great* name for a Cheetah!" she states, and then looks to Bart. "I would like to recind 'Spot' in its many forms and back 'Cuddles the Cheetah'."

Tim Drake has posed:
    Phoebe's explanation gets a moment of brow-furrowing from Tim and a small shake of his head. "There's this great izakaya off of Broome Street downtown, Phoebe, Umami? If you haven't been. I know the owners--I'll ask them what they can do for vegan options." He's somehow finished with his salad despite taking average-sized bites with no apparent rush, a habit refined to a science between the schedule rigors of vigilante crime-fighting and pursuing a double STEM degree. He tosses the rest of his water back too, done in two swallows.

    "Huh. Cuddles *does* have the whole alliteration thing for it." As he stands, Tim takes a moment to consider, and then he nods in agreement. "Yeah, my vote goes to Cuddles. It's kind of like naming a Great Dane 'Tiny', I like it."

    A food truck like this one definitely has at the very least a recycling bin nearby and maybe a composting bin too, so he ditches his rubbish in the appropriate containers. "I have to get back on campus; I have a CAD model due in," he checks his smart watch, "Eiiight hours? Ugh. Yeah. Okay. Later!" He shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket and heads out.