8897/Even Sea People want Burgers Now and Again

Even Sea People want Burgers Now and Again
Date of Scene:	01 December 2021
Location:	Empire Diner
Synopsis:	Arthur has a burger, and Gil shares life experience.
Cast of Characters:	Gilgamesh, Arthur Curry

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Gilgamesh has posed:
The diner isn't too busy right now, seeing as how it's the middle of the night on a weekday. Still, there are a few customers about. This means the kitchen is open and that kitchen is staffed. Currently, it's staffed by Gil, the new guy grill master. As music plays from the jukebox the cook dishes out delicious food cooked perfectly to order. The wait staff grabs the grub and brings it out to serve the customers. The customers eat and are happy. Things are as they should be.

While handling the cooking Gil moves smoothly, with little wasted movement or effort. He's efficient and his use of the spatula is quite practiced and elegant. Some of the other staff even occasionally peek into the kitchen when things are slow to watch him at work.

Despite doing a mundane job the grill operator brings special attention to his work and it shows in the food he serves up. The plates are even arranged in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    The hours shift and flow with the way a man like Arthur Curry runs around the world, at times left to his own devices, others being drawn by a task. Of late it's been the latter, a smuggling ring that has been elusive ever since they've had their submarines rounded up by the Atlantean prince. Though his latest chase ended without bearing fruit and so he finds himself back on the shores of Manhattan at this late of an hour.
    He had emerged, still a small scowl on his features, intent to address the situation further with the bastards that got away. But then another aspect of life took precedence when his stomach /growled/ and let him know that there were other matters to take care of before.
    So the door to the diner jangled, the bell within ringing as the customer entered. At a glance from the waitstaff there might be a brief instant of apprehension. He's a big guy, grim of features with that wild mane of hair and beard. Perhaps even triggering the instinct that this man might either be homeless or up to no good. Only for that apprehension to be at least party dissolved when he lifts his chin, his pale blue eyes lighting up with the smile that reaches his features as he asks,
    "Hey, you guys still open?" And with that he makes his way toward one of the seats at the counter.

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Yes sir! We're open twenty four seven," replies one of the servers as they go to meet Arthur with a menu and some utensils.

There's a lull in the action. All the guests are fed and the grill's been freshly cleaned. Gil seems to be without work to do at the moment. He finds himself removing his hairnet and leaving the kitchen to pour himself a cup of joe behind the counter. As he sips he stands as out of the way as he can manage so as not to slow down anyone else that's working. It gives him a chance to look over the customers, like the big, shaggy looking guy. Looks familiar. Gil heads his way and greets him with lift of his chin, "Hey." He's got a noticeable Korean accent. "You look familiar." His brow is furrowed in thought, "It'll come to me. Lot of faces stored in my mind to sift through." There's a light chuckle.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    The menu is accepted, a nod is given, then Arthur finishes his stroll over to the counter where he opens it on up to peruse, then almost instantly closes it again. Likely already knows what he wants, but then he takes a second to look around the place.
    Which is when Gil heads on out then offers that greeting. A greeting that's returned with a casual, "Hey man,"
    Then the idea he looks familiar which causes Arthur to sort of half-smile as he looks away, lifting a hand and waving it to the side subtly as he murmurs, "Ehn. People say that all the time, I might just have one of those faces." Which, to be fair, he doesn't. But it's an easy enough explanation.
    He looks back at gives Gil a once over himself and nods, "But, I run around and go by Arthur." A gesture with one hand is given over his shoulder now, "I work down by the docks." Which, technically is true. Kinda.

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Nice to meet you, Arthur," the grill cook offers. "I'm Gil." The counter server wanders over to Arthur's seat to pour him a cup of coffee and take his order. Gil waits until they're gone before he starts talking again, "I haven't been to the docks. Only been in the area for a few days now and there is so much to see." Gil speaks between sips of coffee, trying to get through the cup quickly so he can get back to the grill. "It takes being in a place for a long time to really get to know it, but even a short exposure can give you a good feeling for somewhere. So far I have a good feeling about New York."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    The order is nothing fancy, cheeseburger, fries, left to the discretion of the staff as to the well-doneness. Once that's settled he smiles as the server goes on her way and his attention returns to Gil. "Gil, hey man." He repeats as a way of greeting.
    Then the Eternal mentions he hasn't been around too much which causes Arthur's brow to rise a bit, "Ah there's a ton to see. A ton." He nods to emphasize that last word, giving a half-grin. "But yeah, that's good you feel positive about the place."
    He turns his head slightly as if looking askance at the entirety of the city, encompassing it all in that momentary reflection as a man who has been there many times, though doesn't call it home. "I usually see two reactions to it. Either it terrifies folks, or they love it and become a fan. Not so much divisive reactions, more just strong."
    A small shrug is given, "Though my favorite place to go when I wsa a kid were the museums."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"I find museums to be fascinating places," Gil finishes off his coffee and put the mug in a tray to be washed. Then he dons his hairnet once more and proceeds into the kitchen area to get cracking on Arthur's meal. "History museums in particular. You learn much about a culture by what they choose to remember of the past." Foods sizzle on the grill as they're prepared. "Ancient cultures can be nearly forgotten for thousands of years, their gods no longer worshipped, their kings forgotten. Then a historian will find tiny pieces of the puzzle that was that lost civilization and put them together. They're not always right, but some of what they figure out is amazing."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "For me it was all about the critters," Arthur calls out loud enough for his voice to carry into the kitchen. "Dinosaurs, the ice age, all the displays with things with sharp fangs. Though I mean, what do you want from me, I was a kid right?"
    His tone is warm and jovial then he takes a sip of his coffee and listens to what Gil has to say, nodding a little as he speaks toward history and lost civilizations. Then his brow lifts as he seems to ponder something, trying to recall. "I am Shutruk-Nahunte, King of Anshand and Susa, Sovereign of the Land of Elam... and forgotten to history for the most part." An old quote about a kingdom lost long ago that contributed little save conquest.

Gilgamesh has posed:
"I don't blame you, fearsome beasts are very impressive," Gil calls back agreeably. It's not much longer before he's got Arthur's food plated and brings it out himself to continue the conversation, "Not forgotten by everyone, even if his empire didn't last very long before the Babylonians took it. Where did you hear that quote, though? I didn't know anything he said survived." The cook heads back to make sure the grill is ready for the next order, staying within earshot.

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Answering easily enough, Arthur offers back, "Some movie, ages ago. About a teacher and some kids." He doesn't take long until he's digging into the burger, or perhaps more specifically the fries. A pat of ketchup is added to the side of the plate and then he's swirling around a fry in its depths before taking a bite.
    "Though the sentiment stuck with me. The idea that no matter your actions ultimately it's your contributions that are remembered. Though I don't know. Does that hold true for today with the changes in technology and the..." A tilt of his head is given as if looking for secret cameras in the diner, "Ubiquitousness of recording devices, cameras in everyone's hands."
    Which, might be interesting since the last time Arthur went viral was when someone was sticking a phone in his face and some guy was saying over and over, 'Hey. Hey fish guy. Gimme an autograph. Hey fish guy!' only for Arthur to round back and whap the camera out of the guy's hand. But was one of the few times Aquaman was caught on vid.

Gilgamesh has posed:
Once the grill is straightened out again Gil comes back behind the counter, "I think history will remember who it always remembers, the leaders, the innovators and the warriors. There will likely be more historical records going forward, though the need for digital archaeologists will increase as time goes by as well." Gil sighs, "The thing history doesn't always teach is that everyone contributes something to their civilization. There is no such thing as an unimportant person. Everyone that has ever been born, ever will be born, has a part to play."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    For some reason that makes Arthur sort of tilt his head to the side, a slight 'ehn' sound comes from him as if he didn't entirely agree, but either couldn't or didn't wish to counter Gil's good sentiment. Instead he smiles and uncurls a hand, "I hope that's so, or hope people ultimately get..." Dangerously close to waxing philosophical, he instead just shakes his head.
    Then repeats, "I hope that's so." Then he takes another bite of a fry and only after that does he attempt the burger itself, taking his time and a big bite he falls silent as he chews for a while.
    "Just in the last decade and some we've seen a lot of crazy. No telling which way the world is gonna jump lately." And he knows from crazy.

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Very true," Gil says to Arthur's last statement, nodding his head up and down. "Sort of what brings me here. So much of the world changing events happen right here, on this island." He gestures in manner that encompasses the entirety of the diner and is clearly meant to include more. "I can't sit on the sidelines while so much is happening, so many people are put in danger." He stares off into the middle distance for a moment before shaking his head and cracking a smile, "You got me thinking a lot, Arthur."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "I did?" The tall man gives the other a sort of incredulous tilt of his head, "That's crazy talk. I just ramble usually." And though the man looks so gruff and dour and grouchy, when Arthur's at his ease he can almost seem companionable.
    His head tilts to the side, eyebrows lifting. "But yeah, Manhattan is a loopy place. Metropolis and Gotham, not any saner but this place has..." Shaking his head slightly he looks back to Gil with brows raised as if surprised at the fact that he recites, "Per capita no other place on the planet has more capes than Manhattan. It's the whole chicken and the egg argument. More costumed weirdos here because weird stuff happens, or do the costumed crowd bring the weirdos with them?"
    Judgemental assuredly, but for some reason he seems alright with critiquing the costume crowd since he's one of them.

Gilgamesh has posed:
"There's something can be said for rambling, you never know what you'll discover," Gil says seriously, though he does chuckle a little bit afterwards. "I'm glad the superheroes are out there. They bring hope to people, even if they might inspire villains to get up to the same sort of antics. Still, you're right. I don't think there's any way to know if they're the cause of or result of all the strangeness."

Moving about behind the counter Gil occasionally straightens stuff out or does some spot cleaning, keeping the place looking as sharp as possible, "Superheroes aren't a new phenomenon, though. You go back to when history and mythology were one and the same and you'll find stories of men like Achilles and Heracles who straddled the line between man and god."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    Another bite of the burger is taken as Arthur lets his gaze unfocus. He listens to Gil and nods along, holding his silence as he chews and chews, then swallows. After that he sets the half of a burger that's left and cocks his head to the side, "Yah, I'd agree. I mean Herc is still running around these days as an Avenger."
    He tilts his head back, "And some of the others are pretty old too. Diana for one." A small lift of his shoulders then he lowers them as he fiddles with the fries again, swooping up some ketchup as he delves.
    "I just..." His head lifts up and his eyes distance as he looks off and away, "Culturally in a lot of ways it's good. But when it goes bad..." He shakes his head as if he's speaking from experience. Which he sort of is. "Higher stakes, more power people are throwing around, more casual mayhem that just occurs it seems sometimes."
    He crinkles his nose as he looks back, smiles a little. "The hell do I know though, really?"

Gilgamesh has posed:
Pouring himself another coffee, Gil listens to Arthur speak, his head occasionally nodding up and down. "Good people have to be ready when evil rears its head. That's why heroes are so important, they can teach people that bravery is about more than being the biggest and the strongest." Then he laughs, "Though being the strongest helps you be brave."

"But you're right about the stakes being high. This might be the most dangerous time in human history, since before the last ice age at least. Earth needs protectors now at least as much as ever before."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Yeah..." Arthur admits, then he makes a face as he takes another bite of his hamburger, talking around it for a moment. "Yeah I've heard that lecture a million times." Which might be over-sharing a little but then he gives a nod, gesturing with the quarter burger that's left as he says, "By the way, good burger, man."
    That said he finishes it off with a few more bites, then takes a drink of his coffee before starting to pick at the fries schniblets.
    "Used to be a guy living down in town where I grew up." Arthur offers casually, "Said for the longest time that when he was flying in Korea he was taken to another world. I laughed at him. My pop though, he'd tell me that you never know what someone's lived through. Now, if an old fella told me he visited Ming the Merciless back in the sixties, shit. I'd probably believe him."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Thank you," Gil takes the compliment on his cooking graciously.

"You get lectured about protecting Earth?" the cook asks curiously. "It's funny, I was always there on the front lines. Didn't always know for sure that I was doing the right thing, but I felt like I had to do something. Until I decided to take a break. Now I hardly know where to start again."

There's a bit of laughter, "Don't believe everything, just keep an open mind. You don't want to be caught off guard."

Arthur Curry has posed:
    "Ehn," Arthur says again, but this time he uses that as a wildcard answer to so many things. In this case about him getting lectured, but also about where to start once one's been gone from the work so long.
    "I find that sometimes in life, if you don't know everything, at the least you can find good people to run with. Have them around you, at least you're doing what you can in the company of good people." His lip twists up, "Besides, if you don't know which way to go, always good to follow someone who at least acts like they do."
    That said he pushes to his feet and starts to dig into his pocket for the bill. Should be about eleven bucks roughly, he leaves a twenty and rolls his shoulders a little. "Nice chatting with you, Gil."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Yeah, it was good talking to you, Arthur," Gil says as he starts to bus the counter. "I'll see if I can't find the right person to show me the way when I get stuck."