Owner	Pose
Eddie Brock	The Empire Diner is starting to shift into that late night gear, the tourists and college students that make up the evening crowd filtering to the late night party types and the overnight workers. Eddie Brock isn't a stranger around here, although the guerilla journalist has been keeping odder hours than usual. He slumps against the counter and perches on a stool, wearing a graphic t-shirt for the band Disturbed and a pair of jeans. He misses loud music but his dark passenger's sensitive to that sort of thing. He's had to learn to enjoy quieter hobbies. The only sound Venom really liked was broken bones and screams. Which, to be fair, Eddie was developing a taste for as well. "Black coffee, toast almost burnt, bacon and sunny side up, a five pancake stack, a Tex-Mex omelette, two slices of pecan pie, a slice of apple pie, a double cheeseburger, a jumbo order of the chili cheese fries, some fried pickles and a large cola."
Mania	After some time spent in one of the nearby neighborhoods, Mania..was hungry. There had been certain urges that chocolate sated, thankfully, but some of the hunger pangs had been growing stronger lately. Under cover of darkness, she used her own form of webbing to swing her way through Midtown, headed south. That would get her closer to Staten Island and Happy Harbor, but first... ...the Empire Diner was open, didn't look terribly packed, though it certainly looked like it kept up good business even at this hour. That should do. Landing atop a roof a block away, Mania descended a fire escape ladder into the adjacent alley...and walked out as Andi Benton, dressed in dark purple and black, the purple more or less matching the color of her hair. The look was a mix of punk and goth, a frayed purple shirt worn over a black tank top, black leggings featuring a few holes in them, capped off with a pair of stompy boots that ended just above the ankles. A skull-themed choker around her neck, piercings, bangles around the wrists. Entering silently, she eyed the place with suspicion, in search of a spot that didn't have anyone directly next to it, then headed in that direction to go over a menu.
Nessa Donovan	Diner food is kind of Nessa's jam. She's still convinced her bacon and eggs are the best in town, but she's still more than happy to let other people cook. The great thing is, when you make diner food--you know what's good. /Especially/ when you've been to nearly every diner there is in New York. Since she's expecting a guest, she moves for a table rather than the counter and slides into a seat, gloved hands resting on the menu, which she likely doesn't need. A brief glance goes over to the counter as she hears mention of a long list of menu items, but she's less surprised by that than most. She's used to the weird appetites of the city.
Johnny Storm	Johnny arrives a short time later, today he's wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket. The T-Shirt he wears though, is rather odd, it looks like any other tee you might see with words on it, except the words on this shirt aren't in english, they aren't even from earth, instead they are some sort of alien script - Kree glyphs to those in the know. He heads over to where Nessa's seated herself at a table and flashes a grin towards her, moving to slide into the seat opposite her, "So, what's the go-to order here?"
Eddie Brock	The waitress leans over the counter at Eddie, "You sure you gonna eat all that, pal? You expectin' company?" "We'll eat it." "We?" Eddie reaches into his pocket and pulls out a hundred dollar bill laying it on the counter. "Keep the change. And the questions," he says. He looks back over his shoulder at those making their way in and blinks a moment as he recognizes the Human Torch. Hard not to, guy's been famous for most of Eddie's life. The thought of those flames makes the symbiote within him shudder, but Eddie swallows hard and forces a smile.
Mania	Andi Benton ends up only a few places away from Eddie, glancing back toward the door by the time Nessa and Johnny arrive. She squints at him, at least. Recognition? Perhaps, but acting starstruck is not in the cards for her. Instead, she dives deep into the menu. First up to order is Eddie, and she may have caught something between he and the waitress, for she arches a brow in his direction and studies him for a few long moments. By the time she's seen to for her order, it isn't quite as extensive as Eddie's was but it's definitely more than one would expect someone of her stature to eat in one sitting, including a cheesesteak, a bacon cheeseburger, fish and chips, fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and two chocolate milkshakes. Same waitress, in fact, and the woman looks back to Eddie, then Andi, then Eddie again, muttering to herself as she walks away, "They don't pay me enough to care. Better tip well, though."
Nessa Donovan	"Hashbrowns are my favorite here. They manage the perfect amount of grease. Not going to leave you feeling gross afterwards. Really, anything with potatoes you can't go wrong with here. I tend to just go classic bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns. Or french toast if I'm feeling sweet. I like how they do that here too," Nessa leans in a bit, gloved hands resting on the table as she gets a better look at his shirt. The script on there doesn't mean anything to her, but she sits back and doesn't pry about it. "I thought you might like this place, it's a little classier but it's got a great vibe. Plus it's great when I don't have to be the one cooking." While the vast amount of food being ordered might be surprising, it's just the variety that's got her attention. "That all does sound good," she comments to herself.
Johnny Storm	Johnny Storm perhaps catches the stare at his shirt from Nessa, and he just grins a little more, the sort of grin someone has when they're the only one in on a joke. "Hashbrowns, alright." He says with a nod of his head, "And, I think french toast, and uh." He hmmns a little, "A glass of chocolate milk, and a side of fruit." he's probably not entirely used to people looking at him when he goes in places, even when he's dressed down as he is today, and is more than happy to offer out a few friendly little smiles to folk.
Eddie Brock	There's some grumbling from the back about the size of the orders, the chef having not been prepared for a full-on onslaught of late night patrons. Still, that's the job and his cussing is at least partially covered by the sizzle of the grill. Eddie turns his head and briefly makes eye contact with Andi and there's a twitch of something inside him, some recognition he can't quite place that triggers a gutteral inhuman voice in his head. //DO WE KNOW HER, EDDIE?// <<I don't think so.>> //MAYBE WE SHOULD EAT HER JUST TO BE SURE// <<I think that would be a bad idea with Johnny Storm nearby.>> //AH YES. THE BURNING MAN. DISGUSTING.// "Hi," he says simply to Andi, taking his coffee first and, surprisingly, drinking the cup down in one swig.
Mania	Andi Benton does something with her phone while Nessa and Johnny are seen to. She acts like she's tapping something on her screen, like a game or a webpage but she's subtly taking a picture of Eddie. Perhaps it's while the internal conversation is going on. To continue the charade, she keeps using the phone for a few more seconds, just held at a slightly different angle, before she tucks it away again. //ANDI...MAYBE DANGER// <<Not now. I'm hungry. You're hungry. Calm down.>> //FEEL SOMETHING STRANGE// <<Let's worry about it later. It's probably nothing.>> //BE CAREFUL ANDI// Eddie is not the only one dealing with a voice inside his head right now, and after he addresses her she watches him with a hint of a distant, distrusting expression. "Hi yourself," is all she says. The first of the two chocolate shakes arrives and she sucks down an unhealthy amount through the oversized straw.
Nessa Donovan	If there's a joke Nessa's missing, she either hasn't caught on or it doesn't bother her. Instead, she's distracted for a moment when the waitress wanders their direction. She puts in her order, all the things she had mentioned before with the addition of a chocolate milkshake with a little extra chocolate syrup added. "I hope you know, I didn't actually have a reason to drag you out here," she states, adjusting the cuff of her gloves. "I wanted the company and I was curious if you'd show up late night. Never know what I could be interrupting." Thankfully, there's no internal voices there for her other than the nagging voice of self-consciousness that always just lurks just below the surface.
Johnny Storm	It's truly a strange world when Johnny Storm isn't the one having subtle pictures snapped of him on phones, but this is the world one lives in at times. He puts in his order as well then laughs, "Well, I had nothing better to do tonight, so." He shrugs his shoulders a little at her and flashes a grin, "I guess, why not? Anyway, what better guide to the diners of New York City will I find?"
Eddie Brock	Eddie Brock is, after all, an underground journalist. He knows when someone's taking his picture, especially a teenager who thinks she's being sneaky. "My name's Eddie Brock. I write stuff," he says, "Probably seen my picture in the papers sometime," he says. //NOT IN A WHILE.// "Shut up," he snaps. Oops, said that out loud. "Sorry," he mutters. The food starts to arrive, pancakes first and he drowns them in syrup until there's a pool at the bottom, starting to eat with a ravenous hunger, fork and knife moving around rapidly to slice up massive bites that he shoves in and barely chews.
Mania	At least Eddie didn't mention anything out loud about the photo taken on the camera, but the way he reacts leaves Andi grimacing for a moment. She covers for it by letting him see her roll her eyes as she says, "Whatever. Never heard of you." Truth or not, it's her way of acting indifferent to it all. Still, the phone remains put away. For now, she doesn't give her name. The little outburst from Eddie does, however, get her to stare at him even more openly, though she holds her tongue. There is a different reason for that beyond just trying to avoid more of a response. //ANDI LOOK AT ALL THE FOOD HE HAS// She remains silent, both inside and out. If her 'friend' noticed the amount of food, Eddie's might as well. At least, once it all arrives. In a place like this, that won't be very long. "Fuck," she mutters under her breath, diverting her attention back to the milkshake, then toward other parts of the diner as she shifts positions in her seat. It lets her gaze fall back on Nessa and Johnny, and others. A needed distraction as she seeks to figure out how to handle this as suspicions grow inside her thoughts.
Nessa Donovan	No one takes snapshots of Nessa. There's no reason to. She probably doesn't even have any sort of social media. She does, however, smirk in Johnny's direction. "It's good to know that at least this is more interesting than sitting around being bored. You know, telling someone you have 'nothing better to do' implies it's kind of the last option." She doesn't sound annoyed, just amused. As if she /expected/ it. Her attention briefly darts to the the two nearby, mostly because of the snapped outburst from Eddie, but she's not terribly bothered. Andi's given a generous smile before she looks back towards Johnny.
Johnny Storm	Little does Nessa know, being a female seen in public in the company of Johnny Storm, often is enough reason to get her photo taken, though not this time. Johnny glances over towards the two over by the counter as well, head tilting a little before he glances back towards her, "So, on the scale of Diners in the city, where would you rate this one, if you had to?"
Eddie Brock	Eddie Brock does notice Andi's volume of food, his eyes narrowing for a moment. Is she mocking him? Does she have her own strange appetite? The idea that there might be more like it out in the world seems impossible to him, but the dark laugh in the back of his mind at the concept shows him all the truth he needs. He's not alone. There are others out there. Maybe even this girl. "We didn't mean to spook you," he says carefully, not looking directly at Andi, just experimenting a bit with the conversation. AT worst, he seems like a weirdo. Which he is, as evidence by the way he begins to rapidly put down his cheeseburger in just a few bites, his throat bulging as he swallows an unhealthy amount in every bite.
Mania	Soon enough, the food arrives at Andi's table. It's definitely enough for two. She looks away from Nessa and Johnny, at least after making brief eye contact, and either or both of them may see in her someone who's trying to maintain a certain attitude of some distance, a guarded nature. "Good, because you didn't," Andi informs Eddie after he's figured out what to say to her next. Unlike him, she forces herself to take her time instead of simply devouring the food. Within, some of that wariness begins to simmer but it does not cease. Suspicion lingers, which may be no surprise given some of what's happened in the city recently. Turns are taken from burger to cheesesteak, from onion rings to fries, dipped in a southwest style ranch sauce or ketchup, the mozzarella sticks in marinara. Though she works on the meals, she never lets Eddie completely out of her focus. There's a part of him that has a part of her on edge.
Nessa Donovan	Nessa notes the gloss over the situation, but she's glancing at Andi for a moment too, just to keep an eye on her. It's not the mistrustful gaze of someone nearby, but a watchful one as she looks between Andi and Eddie. Her gaze shifts to Johnny for a moment, then back at Andi, and then back to Johnny. She relaxes, hands still folded on the table. "I'd say it's number two. I'm a big fan of it because it's got the diner style but the restaurant flare and it can't be number one because I don't work here." She flashes a grin.
Johnny Storm	"Well, this will give me a good benchmark when I have you cook me some food then." Johnny says with a laugh, "And you know I don't mind making time for you." He says, circling back to the previous comment of hers, "It's actually good to go out and just hang out with you, if you ask me."
Eddie Brock	They are two predators circling, measuring, even if they don't know it yet, the same species but of a different class in a variety of ways, the most important of which being that Venom was quite, quite insane. He glances back over his shoulder agin at Nessa and Johnny. "We didn't? Hmmmm. Don't know. You seemed a bit spooked to us. Nothing wrong with that. We can be spooky sometimes," he says and the grin he gives that only she can see is a little too wide and the teeth in his mouth are just a little too sharp.
Mania	//ANDI BE CAREFUL BE CAREFUL BE CAREFUL// It's all she can do to keep from letting that side of her out as soon as she notices /that/ from Eddie, but while she fidgets in place under the pretense of getting more comfortable, her eyes dart side to side and she takes a stronger than planned bite of the burger, chomping clean through a large part of it. She goes very still while she chews very deliberately, acting very cautiously in the midst of a situation that could go very poorly at the drop of a pin. Something dark passes through her eyes, something Eddie might notice, there and gone in about the time it takes to blink. "Not here," she says, an edge to her voice that gives away a tense nature. Watching him pointedly, she allows him to see her slurp up some of that milkshake, in its clear glass, with a tongue that is not human. That too, happens in an instant. Whether Eddie's the only one paying attention remains to be seen.
Nessa Donovan	Even if Nessa's not entirely sure of what's going on, there's some kind of sense that there's something. She's relaxed, but keeping aware in the case of any situational change. "I've talked up my food a lot, so I'm hoping it lives up to the hype. I've certainly had lots of practice and I actually like what I'm doing, so... who knows, maybe I'll end up going to culinary school. It's a thought I've had." The waitress wanders by with their food, dropping it off before disappearing to go attend to other tables.
Johnny Storm	Johnny hasn't noticed the odd tension between Andi and Eddie up at the counter either, his focus primarily on the blonde sitting opposite him, and he's got a little grin on his face. He surely hasn't noticed the exceptionally unsettling grin of Eddie, that's for sure. The food getting set down before him has him ahhing a little bit, "So, do you keep your diner rankings purely to the Manhattan area? Or do you reach out onto the island too?" he asks with a glance across towards Nessa as he reaches for his chocolate milk to take a little sip from it.
Eddie Brock	The grin disappears, but only barely, the darkness lingering for a moment in Eddie's eyes, an abyssal glance that might cause an average bystander to wet themselves. "We know. We're not done eating yet," he says and the voice that he uses is a mingled one, Venom and Eddie in chorus. He begins to make serious work of the food, shoveling it in, sometimes even using his fingers. Patience is not chief among Venom's virtues. If the symbiote had its way, they'd scoop up the whole meal in their jaws and swallow it whole.
Mania	It may be a testament to how far Andi's already come that she can continue to sit here, aware of someone only a couple tables away, with what seems to be the same thing she has, and continue to eat as if both of them were normal...aside from their ravenous appetites, of course. By this point they both know what they're carrying with them. Venom has no doubt confirmed it to Eddie, just as Mania has to Andi. The girl, late teens by the look of it, focuses on more of her food. If anything's going to happen after this, it'll come with full stomachs. Perhaps...it may help. "Neither..are we," she informs him, returning a similarly dual voice. This, it seems, is enough for a lone patron at the counter between them to hastily slap his money down and scram.
Nessa Donovan	"Oh, I track them down everywhere. It wouldn't be fair not to rank them all, though it's hard to actually narrow them all down to a top ten. There are some I like more than others, though. Like this one," Nessa is still keeping an eye on Andi, though with the food there she focuses on that a bit more, taking a sip of her shake. "It's kind of a hobby. I might start ranking pubs too, though, but that's a bit more social of an activity." She's eating, but... it's kind of getting hard not to stare. Because there's /definitely something/ going on.
Johnny Storm	"You should start a blog about it. Confessions of a Diner Cook Ice Witch, or something." Johnny suggests to Nessa, still not having really noticed the weirdness up at the counter. Probably his back's to it, that would explain it. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a phone, "That reminds me." He says, flicking a few buttons before setting it down in the center of the table, where a bunch of holographic images pop up, almost like a menu or selection, all of them varieties of little black dresses, all sleeveless, with hemlines ranging from full length, to might as well call it a shirt. "You basically challenged me into getting you into a dress, so, I thought I'd let you pick a few styles you liked before I just started sending some to your apartment."
Eddie Brock	Eddie Brock finishes his food in seemingly impossible time, fast enough to put a competitive eater to shame. He wipes his mouth with a napkin and lets out a resonant burp that certainly fills up the space of the diner in its volume. "Real satisfying," he says to the waitress, throwing another fifty down as a tip on top. He didn't have a ton of money but what he had he didn't tend to sit on. No point saving for a future you can't even begin to imagine. "You and me, princess, let's find a dark alley and chew some fat," he says, standing over Andi's table.
Mania	Andi Benton is not in this against Joey Chestnut, Kobayashi, or anyone else known for feats of gluttony. Measuring her eating pace serves as a way of maintaining some control over things, even if it's small. The burger is finished off, the cheesesteak following soon afterward, and... "Dude, you have a holophone? That's sick." She happened to look over toward the pair just in time to spy the dresses showing up. Then Eddie is in front of her table, effectively boxing her in. It leads to another ripple of /something/ through her expression, and she grates through clenched jaw, "You, or both of you?" Reaching into a pocket of her leggings, she comes up with enough cash to cover the meal and add a decent tip. Good thing she's been taking extra hours at the music shop.
Nessa Donovan	"A blog? I mean, I hadn't really thought about that. It could be nice to write up my diner related thoughts. Could be a good route. People might even use it for recommendations. I actually kind of like it. It's a good tip," Nessa says, though she puts a hand on her face a moment later. An actual facepalm. "Oh god, I knew I shouldn't have made that dare." She's staring at the dresses, for a half second actually pondering them. "You're not getting me a dress, you're not getting me in a dress, and I certainly don't have anywhere to /wear/ a dress." Though she'd kept her eye on Andi, so as soon as she spies Eddie's approach, she turns just a bit to face Andi. "Doing okay?" She offers a smile. It's the kind of smile given to someone who needs a walk to their car to avoid a creeper.
Johnny Storm	"Well, maybe an Instagram or something but be more appropriate..." Johnny pauses at the outburst of Andi and he turns a little an flashes a grin, "Yeah, though those Apple guys threatened to send the Phalanx of Pharaohs after us if we dared release them on the open market." He says, there's clearly a joke in there somewhere. This does get his attention back to Eddie and Andi's interaction though, and he gives a little raise of his eyebrow as he looks between the two.
Eddie Brock	The symbiote within wants to snarl in response, but Eddie has enough control, thin as it may be, to keep any such outburst at bay. For now. "We just want to talk," he says to Andi, keeping the voice human as he can. He flexes his fingers, nerves prickling under his skin as he tilts his head downwards to listen to the voice. //BURNING MAN. BEWARE.// <<That's what I said but you've always got to start something.>> //WE GET BORED.// He puts his hands up in as non-threatening a way as he can as Nessa looks their way, "Nothing to worry about. Just a little bit of a family reunion. Distant cousin type."
Mania	Andi is still on the verge of going one way or the other. Mania has not dealt with something quite like this. There was the guy at the mostly destroyed building on the river, but that didn't feel the same as this. This? There's something beneath the surface that's much more primal. She takes a closer look Nessa and Johnny's way, telling them, "Yeah, everyone's got that creepy uncle in the family. I didn't think I'd find him here." Blatant lie, but she doesn't much care if they see through it or not. "And you don't get to call me 'Princess,' Eddie." She remembered his name. Hers was not given. Internally, her symbiote is still giving off all kinds of warning signs, and for good reason. "You two enjoy your dresses," she adds to Nessa and Johnny as she brushes past Eddie without touching him, flinging the door open a little too easily as she leaves en route to said alley, but instead of staying there she ascends to the rooftop.
Nessa Donovan	If there's one thing Nessa can't stand it's when it feels like there's an uncomfortable power dynamic. Her eyes watch Andi carefully, keeping an eye on body language just to check and make sure she /actually/ feels comfortable with 'just a talk'. She's helped enough people at bars out of sticky situations simply by making sure they weren't alone. So when Andi declines the help, she gives a small nod and lets it go. "Sure, I've definitely got one of those." There's a small wave as she watches Andi leave before she directs her attention back to Johnny.
Johnny Storm	Johnny Storm gives a little shrug as well as Nessa seems to shift focus away from the departing duo, if she's not bothered by it, he won't be either, and when she looks back to him, he looks back to her and gestures a little at the dresses, "You know, I can manufacture a reason for you to wear a dress just as easily as I can order them for you." He says with a grin at her.