8969/Adventures in Dining

Adventures in Dining
Date of Scene:	06 December 2021
Location:	Empire Diner
Synopsis:	Gilgamesh meets Kaida at the diner he works at.
Cast of Characters:	Gilgamesh, Kaida Connolly

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Gilgamesh has posed:
Outside it's a little cloudy, but otherwise it's nice enough. Not too frigid, either.

The diner itself has a few guests as it's currently lunch time. They're eating or chatting and seem to be enjoying themselves. The jukebox is playing some eighties pop tunes. It's a pretty nice scene, all in all.

Behind the counter, in the kitchen, Gilgamesh is cooking. He's got his apron and hairnet on and stands at the grill armed with a spatula. Burgers get flipped, bacon gets fried, eggs get scrambled. The cook is confident as he works, though patient enough to make sure he takes proper care with each and every meal. And then there's a lull in the action.

All the customers seem to have gotten something to eat, leaving Gil to clean the grill and straighten up his work space to prepare for the next customer.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Sneaking into the place like she usually does, Kaida is wearing her usual fair with an addition of a long-ish jacket that is remeniscent of a trenchcoat. Custom made for herself, by herself, Kaida smiles as she pulls it taught and sneaks over to one of the order pads the waitresses use. She casually fills it out with what she wants, races over to the spot where they hang, rings the bell and races off to the side and hopefully out of sight.

On the paper is written 'Grilled Cheese and cheese fries' though the handwriting might not be fully familiar.

Gilgamesh has posed:
More cooking! Gil smiles slightly when he hears the bell ring and turns to grab the paper hanging up there. When he looks at it he frowns, not recognizing the handwriting on the slip. But he shrugs and starts preparing the food. He spreads some stuff on some bread, layers on a couple types of cheese, slaps the two slices of bread together with the cheese in the middle and puts it on the grill. Then he goes to the fryer, puts a bunch of fries in the basket and drops them in the hot oil to cook up. That's when he heads to the window that leads out to the area behind the counter and calls out, "This order of cheese fries need bacon?"

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A blink and Kaida looks toward window as she is digging out the money to pay for it. She looks around as no server immediately takes up the call of the order. There's only a few tables still eating and none appear to be waiting on food but then something moves quickly across the counter an attempts to duck off the other side. In the wake of that tiny blur, a paper ends up next to Gilgamesh that simply says 'Yes' and nothing more.

Gilgamesh has posed:
Grabbing the paper, Gil looks at it and then shrugs before tossing some bacon on to cook. No using bacon bits or anything, this customer's getting the real deal cooked up for them. "If you're a ghost and you can manifest enough to eat you can just ask for some lunch. Just don't get ectoplasm in my kitchen," the cook says out loud, not at a particularly high volume, but not trying to be subtle about it. "If you're something else you can have a seat at the counter. We'll make sure nobody discriminates against you here."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Squinting around the corner, Kaida hmms softly to herself and then calls out, "Most would and I really can't." The voice projects quite well but still sounds rather small. It sounds like it is coming from beneath the counter, because it is. After a moment, a tiny head peers through the window from the side, a strategic position given that a few items block easy view of her from the other side as she peers at the very large man.

"I have money. I'm gonna pay for it."

Gilgamesh has posed:
The food doesn't take too long to cook. There's soon a beautifully grilled cheese sandwich sharing a plate with a pickle. Then there's some chopping action to get the bacon prepared for the fries. A couple of varieties of grated cheese are mixed with the bacon before topping the fries which then go into an over just long enough to make sure the cheese is gooey and delicious.

Gil looks towards the small voice and raises an eyebrow at the person he sees, "Hey there. Name's Gil." As the food comes together the cook asks, "Where would you like to eat? You want a booth? I'm afraid we don't have any seating for someone your size, but I can see if I can't find something if you want to dine here often."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A blink at the reaction and Kaida stares up at the man before she steps out and smiles, "I don't know how often I'll be around. I check in on a lot of people. Just making sure everyone is happy and healthy this time of year!" She nods and then lets out a breath and slumps forward, "Hungry work though!" She nods and then looks around and peers about.

"Umm, as for where to sit, I uh. I don't know." She shakes her head and shrugs, "I mean, here is as good as anywhere or over on the counter." She shrugs and nods her head, "I just need something to sit on and put food on." She nods again before smiling at the large man, "Oh!" And she pulls out a ten dollar bill and a five dollar bill and puts it on the counter, "For the food!"

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Drop that cash where you sit on the counter and I'll bring your food right out to you," Gil says to the diminutive person. Then he leans over and addresses the server behind the counter, "Ronda, set a place for our guest real fast, please. And tell Ian to get back in here so I can take my break." His head shakes and he looks to Kaida, "Good cook, but he takes so many breaks when I'm working the grill. I'm the new guy, you see, Ian's got seniority."

With a plate in each hand Gil walks out from the kitchen and places them on the counter, stepping back and gesturing towards the food, "Your lunch is served. You need a drink, too? I can put in in a coffee cup and get you a straw so it's a little easier to get to it, hopefully."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"Water!" Kaida declares as she looks over the food, smiling as she does and then she looks at the sandwich with a pleased sigh. She then grabs up the butter knife from the set out utensils and gives the sandwich a couple of more quick cuts. She then grins as she grabs up a piece that is still easily the size of her body and chomps out an all too big bite, swallowing it down into the very other dimension that is her stomach.

"Thank you! Also, Ian shouldn't take advantage."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"You're most welcome," Gil says as he arranges an ice water for the diner's patron, setting it down next to her plates and sticking a straw in it. "So you help check on people? That's good of you. I don't really have anybody to watch out for so I just try to keep everybody who comes in here fat and happy." He grins at his own remark, then opens his eyes wide as Kaida devours his cooking. "Look at you put it away! Just what I like to see!"

There's some laughter, "Ian knows I love to cook and I'm better at it than him so when it gets quiet he lets me do everything, pretty much. I don't have the heart to tell him I've been cooking a lot longer than he has, since way before I came here."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"It's good!" She nods her head in agreement with his remark about cooking even as she devours a couple of fries before looking up to him, "I bet, you don't look like some teen off the street." She shakes her head, "I bet you've been doin' it a while." She points at teh food, "This is evidence." She easily takes out a quarter of the sandwich within moments and shows no signs of stopping.

"My heart beats at over four hundred beats per minute." She nods her head, "And when I get moving, it burns TONS of calories." She grins and nods her head, "And when I get around, I can't jsut walk or I'd get no where." She shakes her head, "So, I appreciate good food."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"I appreciate a good eater," Gil says to Kaida with a grin. "Drop by any time, even if you're broke I'll whip up something to keep you going."

"Thanks for the kind words. I like hearing it when my guests enjoy themselves. You want some pie for dessert? I don't bake it, but it's made fresh and delivered here every morning," the cook is happy to have such an interesting customer, it seems, and he truly does appear to enjoy cooking for people. "We've got blueberry, pumpkin and apple pie today. The apple pie is particularly good."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"That may be but I can't say no to Pumpkin pie during the holidays!" She nods her head enthusiastically and Kaida casually downs more of the fries while they talk. She grabs one fry up, starts at one end and rips it all the way down before she looks up at him and says, "I appreciate it, too. There's a lot of people around here who aren't doing well and they are often forgotten. I know what it is like to be forgotten so I make sure they aren't."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"I like you already. You like my cooking and you take of people others forget about!" Gil happily fetches a slice of pie for the smaller person, setting it amidst their plates. "Whipped cream?" He grabs some from a fridge behind the counter and prepares to scoop some onto the piece of pie. "Lots of people out there think that certain kinds of people are unimportant. I've been around long enough to realize that everybody matters and most tend to put more good into the world than bad. It's good to take care of folks that need it."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A look over at him and she smiles, "Yeah, I used to be one of those folks. I have friends now and so that helps a lot. I saved up so I could get all kinds of things." She nods her head and then shrugs a little, "It's not much spread out but everyone deserves things." She then looks over at the food and proceeds to slice up more sandwich.

"So, what's up with you, Gil? What'd you do before you came to work at a tiny diner in New York City?"

Gilgamesh has posed:
"I spent a bunch of time in Australia and South Korean cooking out there, then I came here so I could be in one of the most happening places in the world. I've cooked for royalty, helped translate some old texts as I'm something of a linguist and I help people out when they need it. Just helped save a priceless relic at the museum when some giant animal men and a young woman tried to swipe it."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A look at Gilgamesh and Kaida stares in disbelief, "You don't look quite that old!" She declares as she then noms on an other fry like it were an afterthought.

"That's an awful lot for any one person. What kind of royalty though? That seems like the coolest part!" She nods her head as she nods her head, "Though, don't get me wrong, I am curious what a cook is doing try to stop a thief."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Thank you, I've pickled myself with beer so I don't age," Gil says to the young woman with a grin and a friendly wink. "The Queen of England, when she visited Australia. I worked in the kitchen at a particularly high end restaurant there and got to prepare a few courses for her."

Then he laughs a little bit, "They were trying to steal an old Japanese book. Might be magical, might not, so I had to try to prevent them from escaping with it. I've learned a bit of martial arts in my time so I thought I could stop them. I did, but the rhinoceros man put me through a locked door. Could have seriously injured me doing that, but I know how to take a blow or two."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A grin and Kaida nods, "Good for you. I'm pretty tough myself!" She nods her head and pats her chest, "I do a little crime fighting with the Titans." She nods her head, "Sometimes on my own but mostly with them. It's how I can easily get out and help more now than I did." She nods again before looking down at her food.

"Many have learned to fear my mighty blade." She frowns, "Well, my old one. New one hasn't gotten a lot of work but..." She pulls a shield from under her jacket and pats the front. Inlaid into the shield is a broken sword that looks like it was forged from a piece of sharpened metal and wrappedd leather for a handle.

Gilgamesh has posed:
"You're a superhero? That's wonderful!" Gil exclaims happily. Then he gets a look at the shield and nods approvingly, "Excellent. I've seen my share of people using a sword by itself. I mean, you have two hands, hold a shield or another weapon if you're using a one handed blade."

He looks around before leaning in and saying quietly, "I'm trying to do the superhero thing. Trying to make a name for myself. Again. It's been a while since songs were sung of my glory in battle." One more check around, "Can you keep a secret?"

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A blink as he speaks up and she smiles, "Yep, I'm Kaida of the Titans!" She nods her head and then pats her shield, "Tell ya what, if you tell me your secret, I'll tell you one of my own." She nods and smiles as she shifts some and looks at him, "That way we can both keep each other's secrets."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Excellent idea, Kaida of the Titans," the cook says happily to his new acquaintance before leaning back in to start whispering. "My name is Gilgamesh. As in King of Uruk in Sumeria. I'm about fifty two thousand years old, by my best guess, and I'm the strongest of a race of immortal beings called the Eternals. I've been fighting for most of my existence, but the last five hundred years or so I've been working on becoming the world's greatest chef." He pauses, "I'll have to have you over for dinner some time." Then he shakes his head, "But lately I've been trying to get famous again so I can warn people of the possibility of a war they may be unable to conceive of coming to Earth." His broad shoulders shrug, "It's hard to find big enough crimes to stop so I'm working on volume. Saving cats from trees, protecting people from muggers. Hopefully I'll do something that goes viral, but I'm not sure what that entails."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A blink and Kaida hmms as she stares at him before she shifts her eyes to the right and then lets out a breath, "Well, that's a lot more than the secret I was gonna tell." She then looks at him before nodding her head, "Though, I can arguably say that I am the strongest mouse on Earth. Probably." She nods before gesturing to her shield and then pulling out her sword to show it, too.

"My secret is that both of these weapons were forged by Amazons." She smiles at him, "The real ones, like Wonder Woman's people." She nods and grins before sliding her tiny sword away. She then looks around, "Not really as big as being a legendary warrior."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"We'll need to have a team up some time, Kaida," Gil says to the mouse girl. When she tells him about her weapons, though, Gil's eyes get big, "Really? That's pretty amazing. Amazon forged weapons are incredible. I haven't seen an Amazon in person in a couple thousand years, but I remember seeing some of them at... Oh, was it Troy? Can't remember right now." He chuckles and gives a thumbs up, "World's strongest mouse and world's strongest Eternal. Both with hearty appetites and a desire to help people."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A grin and she nods, "Sounds amazing!" She declares and nods her head, "I'm all for it!" She then looks over at her food and prepares another bite, "And with food like this, I'll really be able to give it to the bad guys." She pats her belly and looks up at him, "It's very hard to keep me full. Between my speed and my general metabolism, I gotta eat as much as a normal person does, at least, every day. Often more." She grins, "It's difficult sometimes!"

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Well, I'll keep you fed if you keep helping people. Sound good?" Gil offers with a grin. Then he pats his own belly, "I'll feed me, too." Then he chuckles and asks, "How'd you meet Amazons, any way? I'd love to meet some again. See if I can't get them to make me a good axe that can keep up with my strength."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A smile, "I'm a Titan, duh!" She laughs and nods her head, "We have connections." She points in the direction of Metropolis, "We live in a giant T shaped tower on an island near Metropolis." She nods her head and grins at the large man, "I can talk to my friends there and see if we can get a you a meeting." She nods her head, "I'm sure they'd be interested in meeting you at least."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"I'd love to meet you friends. I'll get my uniform on and fly over and all that," Gilgamesh grins. "How's the kitchen in your tower? Anyone have any dietary restrictions? I'll make sure everyone leaves the table stuffed and content." Already offering to feed people. "It'll be good to meet more people in the superhero community. I don't have a whole lot of friends right now, kind of hard to know who to trust and all of that."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"I mean, we're pretty trustworthy. We advertise who we are and have a big obvious tower." Kaida laughs and shrugs, "And we have an amazing cook already but I bet she'd like a good meal, as well." She nods her head, "I'll just have to tell them you're coming and we can have a meet and greet!"

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Terrific, just let me know when," Gil says before he grabs a piece of paper and a pen and scribbles down his name and a phone number to offer to Kaida. "It's pretty easy to get hold of me. I'm usually cooking in some diner somewhere or flying around looking to help people. Or at my house in my secret kitchen lab slash brewery." He laughs and nods, "I'll feed the cook, too. Give her a break for a little bit."

Kaida Connolly has posed:
A grin as she takes the written number and rolls it up before pushing it into her pack and pulling a tiny draw string shut. She then gives a small salute and nods to him, "Well, with that settled then I will need to finish this food and head on my way." She grins and nods her head, "I need to find a few more people and make sure they have what they need before heading home."

Gilgamesh has posed:
"Alright, Kaida, it was great to meet you," Gil says to his new pal as he straightens up to let her finish her meal. "I've got to get back to the grill, but I'm sure I'll see you around. If you need anything you know how to find me." The cook grins at Kaida and waves before heading back to the kitchen to wash his hands and get back to cooking, "Ian, I'll take the grill if you work the oven."