fandomtownies | Entries tagged with duke crocker

It was a quiet day at the diner today. Not suspiciously so, at least not right away. The kitchen staff's antics were just on the subdued end of the spectrum this time, and nothing was trying to escape from the freezer or invade through the front door. Even the radio station they put on was playing the expected mix of top 40s hits quietly in the background.

Sometime around the early afternoon, Duke peeked out of his office, looking around.

"So . . . anything going on?"

"We're good, boss!" Ali said, flipping Duke a lazy salute.

"No one's turned into an animal or developed a sudden craving for, like, paper or something?"

Bobby and Greg exchanged a look. "Nah," Greg said. "Everything's copacetic."

"Well. Okay then." Duke went back into his office to finish his paperwork.

Weird.

Today's specials
Perfectly normal fried fish sandwich with slaw and tartar sauce

Luke's was open. And not suspicious at all.

betterthanaplan

Duke's staff hounded him the moment he walked in the door. Apparently the radio had reported that one of the three of them had temporarily died on their trip back to Haven, but not who.

Duke reminded himself to carry rum with him more often. He'd gotten a little lax about the squirrels.

"We're all fine," he told them. "That's all you need to know."

His staff grumbled, but accepted this. Well, as far as he could tell. Duke ducked into his office pretty quickly to call Gloria and finally catch up with her about the weekend's events.

"Yeah," he said, much more gently than he had to his staff. "We're all okay. Home safe. How are things there?"

He winced when Gloria told him that Vince and Dave had finally been found, both dead, in an old farmhouse they owned on the coast. Nathan, it seemed, was still missing. But everything else had gone quiet.

"Uh, yeah," he said. "So . . . I think the troubles might be over."

"You think, kitten, or you know?"

"I'm . . . reasonably certain they're over. Forever, not for 27 years."

"Hell, I won't be around by then anyway. If the future's gotta deal with 'em, the future can have 'em."

They moved on from that to talking about Gloria's grandson and how quick he was growing, about how maybe she really would retire properly now, and how Duke, for one, thought Baltimore would be a great place to raise a kid. By the end of the conversation, Gloria was looking at property for sale by the Chesapeake, and Duke was as relaxed as he'd been in ages, slouched in his chair with his feet up.

It really was maybe all over. Finally.

Today's specials
Celebration salmon

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

The diner was playing German techno when Duke came in today.

"What. The actual. Hell?" he asked.

"It's for Billy," Ali said.

Duke looked at the busboy. "Okay. What the actual hell?"

"I'm Cory," the busboy said with a roll of his eyes.

". . . Then who the hell is Billy?!" Was he the singer, who seemed terribly upset about . . . something? Maybe an old German techno guy had died or something?

His kitchen staff gave him affronted looks. And proceeded to ignore him the rest of the day. While the techno just kept blaring.

Billy the delivery guy who showed up in the late afternoon was very touched, though.

Today's specials
Kabeljau in Senfsoße

Luke's was open. And hardcore!

[I KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS SHUT UP. Also, is it weird that I am decompressing from an hour of presenting with 90s German dance music while coding German language tax treaties?]

betterthanaplan

"Hey boss, uh . . . you planning to work today?"

Duke looked up, blinking, at his dishwasher. "Nah," he said honestly.

"Can I make the specials, then?"

Duke nodded. "Go for it."

Ali hurried excitedly back to the kitchen and Duke went back to staring into space over a cup of coffee and day dreaming about the new pool at hte mansion.

Today's specials
Beef laghman

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

The kitchen staff had gotten very into the dreidels.

"You guys are going to work today, too, right?" Duke asked.

"Sure, sure," Greg said. As Ali offered up Greg's spatula. And when the dreidel landed, earned back Gussie's slap bracelet.

Duke pulled some loose change from his pocket and held it up. "Never say I don't pay you enough not to gamble away our utensils"

Looked like he was cooking again this week.

Today's specials
Traditional Moroccan fish

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

Duke took one look at the pile of paperwork awaiting his attention in his office, and went to the kitchen instead.

"Move over," he told Greg. "I'm in the mood to cook."

Greg moved. Duke pretended his couldn't see his kitchen staff silently celebrating behind him as he started prepping.

(Maybe Lucifer was right. Maybe his staff really did like him!)

Today's specials
Eomuk Bokkem
(Korean fish cakes)

". . . What the hell happened to all our knives?!"

Luke's was open.

pocketpretzels

Well, that sure had been a weekend, hadn't it? All things considered, Watts had had a pretty good time overall, but the whole experience did tend to stir up long-forgotten (or long-repressed) feelings and memories. And so he was dealing with it by treating himself to a mocha and a muffin, because why not.

betterthanaplan

". . . Okay, is this a Halloween thing, or are you fucking with me?"

The staff at Luke's blinked at Duke. "What do you mean?" asked Ali from his spot at the stove.

"You're wearing each other's clothing." Duke tilted his head. "And . . . doing each other's jobs."

Ali exchanged a glance with Bobby at the dishwashing station. "Do you know what he means?"

"I hate all of you."

Greg came tumbling out of dry storage, tripping on a mop, and spilling turnips all over the floor. Duke just shook his head at him and headed for his office. "Prat falls are beneath you," he called over his shoulder.

"He's right," Ali said. "That was tacky."

"I think I sprained my ankle," said Greg.

"Why do these turnips have faces?" asked Bobby.

Today's specials
CATCH OF THE DAY
Apricot crab-stuffed acorn squash

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

Duke was still feeling normal. So he headed into work.

He took the "Oh my god!" reactions from his staff with as much grace as possible, assured them that he was fine, thanks for asking, tried not to think about Lucifer's claim that his staff loved him. He told Greg to go ahead with whatever he was already planning for the specials and went to check on things in his office.

And promptly nearly drowned in paper.

"This is what I get for getting behind on paperwork," he muttered. And settled in to try to tackle it all.

Today's specials
Lake trout

Luke's was open.

my_own_advocate

Lucifer was doing fine. Just fine. That date night had completely worked everything out of his system. Everything.

"I hate these curtains," he growled to the small cadre of interior designers following him around the club. "This shade of red is far too burgundy for my tastes. Can we have something less burgundy? But still burgundy?"

... at least he was keeping himself occupied?

Tiny just watched and sighed.

[[ open ]]

betterthanaplan

Duke was feeling pretty okay, today. Sure, the pressure was already starting to build to let another trouble out, but it was still at that lingering, vague nausea stage where he could mostly ignore it and go about his day.

Not that most people were willing to let him do that.

"Have you seen the new wearable for people with chronic fatigue?" Ali asked him. "Maybe you need something like that!"

". . . I don't have chronic fatigue. I have a magical curse."

"Have you tried a FODMAP diet?" Greg asked. "My sister did that and it worked wonders for her food sensitivies."

"I don't have food sensitivities," Duke pointed out, exasperated. "I have a magical curse."

"Ooo, have you tried yoga?" Benny asked.

"Yeah, you're fired," said Duke.

Today's specials
~~Apricot kernels~~
~~Moon Juice~~
Not giving unsolicited advice, well-intentioned or not

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

Duke was in rare form today at the diner. He was in the magical between place where he didn't have an active trouble and he didn't feel like he might explode if he moved wrong.

What could he do but overdo it?

Today's specials
Thai red fish curry with noodles
Red mullet with jewelled rice
Smoked grape and kingfish crude and chervil

"No," Greg said, taking the grease pencil out of Duke's hand. "Three specials is plenty."

Luke's was open.

okteiviakom

It was a pretty normal night at the club this particular Wednesday evening, only with one crucial difference:

The AC wasn't working.

And so far, neither Octavia nor Tiny had managed to get it up and running properly again, nor had they managed to get anyone to come in and fix it. So now at least one of your bartenders was seriously considering abandoning ship mid-shift in favor of an actual ship. Though at least not before updating the specials board.

SPECIALS
AS MUCH ICE AS YOU WANT

my_own_advocate

It had been a while since Lucifer had had the time or the presence of mind to sit behind the piano, but lo: that moment had arrived. He was, perhaps, a touch on the maudlin side this time, playing through some rock hits in very understated arrangements, but still.

He was there. There was music flowing through the Nest.

Occasionally, you could even hear him singing.

"All along the watchtower, princes kept the view..."

[[ open ]]

betterthanaplan

The pressure from the troubles in him was getting worse again, but Duke was nothing if not stubborn, so he still dragged his very weary, achy ass in to the diner.

He just didn't bother arguing when his staff once again shooed him to a table and shoved tea at him.

He also wasn't going to drink the tea -- or put anything else into himself right now -- but he didn't mind being mother-henned at a little just now. So long as they didn't mind him grumping back at them good naturedly.

Please ignore the slowly growing pile of dishes on his table as his staff tried to find something he would eat or drink.

Today's specials!
Garlic butter shrimp scampi

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

The troubles had started putting pressure on Duke again pretty much the moment he and his partners had gotten back to Haven. But in classic Duke fashion, he was determined to power through it.

His staff was . . . less willing to let him do that.

"You should sit down, boss," they said. "Let's fix you up something special."

He was herded into his usual booth. A hot tea appeared as if by magic in front of him.

"Take a load off, boss," they told him. "Self-care is important."

"What are you up to?" Duke asked, eyes narrowed.

They just smiled and went back to work.

Today's specials
Lobster rolls

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

"Holy crap, he's here."

Duke's staff stared at him as he came in, then snapped into motion, ushering him to his usual table in the back and offering to bring him coffee and booze and fries. One of the wait staff even put a little flower in a bud vase on the table for him.

"You're over doing it, guys."

(He was touched, though. They maybe even actually liked him!)

Today's specials
You name it, we got it!

Luke's was open.

my_own_advocate

It was halfway through another go at the Great American Songbook that Lucifer realized that Tiny was... writing... something?

"What are you doing?" he demanded, rising from the piano to go check on him. "Are these-- music sheets?"

He pulled one out from under Tiny's nose, and-- "...You're doodling on them?" He looked up. "Is this Tino?" No, wait. "I don't want to know," he said. "Go stand in the corner."

The Devil's Nest was open, and Tiny was... in the corner.

betterthanaplan

After a fair amount of cursing back on his boat, Duke decided that screw this island, he was going to go into work today, pony or not.

Look. Sometimes spite was more powerful than depression, okay?

"Wait," he said, as he trotted into the diner. "Why aren't any of you ponies?"

His -- human -- staff blinked at him.

"Are you really sure that's the question to be asking here, boss?" Ali asked.

Duke face-. . . hoofed and groaned.

"I hate everything."

Today's specials
Sprouted mung bean burgers

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

Duke had already had to maneuver around the giant jelly donut taking up way too much of the Rouge this morning. He'd escaped to work -- only to find another one taking up way too much of his dining room.

And his staff were all wearing berets for some reason.

"Might as well lean into it, right?" Greg said.

"Lean into what? And that's a terrible accent, what's it even supposed to be?"

"Ve are Franch! today!" Timmy crowed, flinging himself onto the donut. A cloud of powdered sugar took off into the air. "Ve vill seet around and drink coffees and talk pheelosopheee!"

Duke made several attempts to respond to that. But even without choking on the airborne sugar, he had nothing. All his many questions and exclamations just got backed up in his throat.

Today's specials
Sitting around on the giant donut and pretending to be French apparently
Don't ask, I don't get it either

Luke's was open.

okteiviakom

Octavia had been very adamant yesterday that Lucifer was not allowed to burn down the Devil's Nest, no matter how it may have looked like right now.

But she had to admit it was very different right now, when she walked in for whatever her shift was going to be like, and was faced with an onslaught of orange, sports on screen, and a lot more staff than she was used to (and in much skimpier clothing than she was used to - on Tiny, at least).

And that was before she saw the banner hanging over the bar, just as bright and garish as everything else:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OCTAVIA!!!

Octavia stared up at it.

"... I think that was two weeks ago."

The bar didn't care. Some of the waitresses had just spotted her, and now there some excited squealing with the gist of 'eeee the birthday girl is here!!' And no, they weren't going to care about such minor details as said birthday having been two weeks ago or no one having actually asked for this party, either.

[ooc: Random party is OPEN, of course.]

betterthanaplan

It took Duke an embarrassingly long time to realize why the town seemed so quiet today. In his defense, it'd been a long time since he'd last taught a class and thus paid attention to things like the school vacations.

He wasn't complaining. The quiet suited him right now. It helped him keep what was so far a good day for him going. Which was why he was currently sprawled back on his hands on the sand to watch the waves rather than standing pensively.

He didn't even mind that the bottle at his side was full of birch beer and not something alcoholic. Progress!

[expecting one, but can be open should anyone else be on the island and looking for a nice low-key post!]

okteiviakom

What had Octavia been Googling originally? Irrelevant, because now she was apparently reading up on the Louboutin show at Paris Fashion Week with an increasingly confused frown on her face.

People in this time were so weird about clothing sometimes.

Anyway, the club was also open.

my_own_advocate

It was a Tuesday night, and the Devil was in, though you wouldn't know it when you came in. He'd spent much of the weekend brooding on a good get-Duke-to-cheer-up-gift, and he was beginning to run out of ideas.

So now Lucifer found himself laying on his back in one of the booths, staring up at the lights on the ceiling. Glass in hand, of course.

He was trying not to feel like the situation was hopeless, and running out of gift ideas was not helping him redirect any of that worried energy. (Perhaps he needed to do something big...)

[[ open ]]

betterthanaplan

The weather was starting to feel more like fall, at least in midatlantic terms, which never failed to make Duke think about Maine. Which was fraught enough normally, but this year. . . .

After everything that had happened this summer, reminders of Haven just ached.

He'd started taking his meds again (and stopped again, and started again, and he really probably should decide if he was going to really take them or not, because this vacillating couldn't be good for his system), so as much as he wanted to have a beer right now, he refrained, sipping from a thermos of coffee instead. At least caffeine was a vice he didn't need to feel vaguely guilty about. The heat of the coffee made a nice counter point to faint damp chill to the air as he watched the waves, a bit rougher than usual with the remnants of the weekend's storm surge.

He wondered what Audrey and Nathan were up to. If Haven had paused again after they'd left, or if they were fighting off more weird evil magic. How they were holding up without the Crocker curse to fall back on when things got especially fraught. He'd wandered down the beach away from the port when he started thinking about them, knowing that trying to tell his partners that he missed them would just get mixed looks of anger and pity.

They didn't get it. Duke couldn't explain it. He knew that Nathan and Audrey had been more than a little terrible to him over the years. He also knew exactly why, and couldn't help but feel on a certain level like he'd deserved it. And anyway, Lucifer and Octavia had never seen the good things Nathan and Audrey had done for him. The times they'd saved his life, or sat with him when he lost someone, or just laughed with him and teased instead of yelling at him. And none of them, not Lucifer or Octavia or Nathan or Audrey, had seen the good that Wade had done. Before he'd given over to the bloodlust of their trouble.

Duke hated these moods. He was pretty sure his meds were supposed to keep them at bay, but he supposed he was too screwed up for them to work perfectly. His therapist had mentioned that he could try a different option if he really felt the one he was on wasn't working, but the very idea of having to start a new med with new side effects and new adjustment periods just exhausted him.

So . . . he went for a walk. Watched the water. Pondered trying to meditate. Or get some weed gummies from town, now that they were legal. And waited for his thoughts and emotions to settle again into something he could actually work with, instead of against.

[because the garden of emo on the school roof isn't available to a townie. The beach of emo is oooopen! Look at me remembering to post this guy on occasion.]

betterthanaplan

Polly Lobster, the porg who had imprinted on Duke back during his first semester as a teacher on the island, was apparently in a Mood. Either he was feeling neglected, or he was joining Lucifer and Octavia's concern for Duke's wellbeing -- or maybe he was doing some third, porg thing that had nothing to do with any sort of human motivation.

Anyway, it all amounted to the fact that Polly Lobster had followed Duke to the diner, today.

The waitstaff were pretty well useless, all much too busy cooing over the little guy, who bounced and flapped and barked at them, all while still sticking close to Duke's ankles. The kitchen staff kept throwing him scraps.

Well, all except Greg, who kept grumbling about health code violations and chasing the poor little guy away with a spatula.

Today's specials
CATCH OF THE DAY!
~~Porg~~ YOU ARE A MONSTER GREG

Duke sighed and resigned himself to not getting anything at all done today.

But Luke's was still open, anyway.

betterthanaplan

So the good news was, Duke had managed to drag himself into the diner for once, this week. The bad news was, the newer beachy vibe of the place was just reminding him of Haven and Wade and everything he'd been hiding on the boat trying not to think about for the last several weeks.

But he'd dragged himself here and that was supposed to be progress, so he was stubborning it out. Beer clenched in both hands as he watched the place from a seat on the newer second floor.

His staff all gave him wide berths, other than to drop off the occasional fresh bottle. Consensus was, if htey weren't careful, he might actually fire someone this time.

Duke would feel bad about that, if he knew. Which would only add to his funk, and thus reinforce the aura of mean. . . .

Today's specials
Don't worry about it

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

Duke's boat was . . . uncomfortable right now. Lucifer had been avoiding it, clearly (Duke was pretty sure it was because he hadn't wanted to open up about everything on queue, which he got, but also resented), and he and Octavia were in kind of a quiet detente after the whole Ilian thing (which Duke knew was totally his own fault, and was determined to work out in his own head rather than spill onto Octavia, who didn't deserve it). And there was only so much fishing even Duke could do.

And sometimes, in his experience, the best way to spend time alone was to do so around people. So he was in town. At the coffee shop, which had a tendency to get a bit crowded on occasion. Just hanging out, drinking an un-Irish coffee, watching the baristas go about their barista-y business.

Missing Audrey, who at least was always happy to daydrink with him, even when they probably shouldn't.

[moody boy is moody, but ACTUALLY IN PUBLIC! *gasp* Open!]

betterthanaplan

Duke wasn’t an expert at recovery, but he was something of an expert at Faking It. So he was out in town again, this time at the diner.

Not that he was cooking. Or ordering his staff around. He’d made himself a cup of tea and was sitting in a back booth, just kind of . . . absorbing the atmosphere.

Said atmosphere at present was tense. As his staff waited to see what he would do.

“Is that really just tea?” Ali hissed.

Greg nodded.

“He’s so wounded,” whispered Benny. “Our poor baby boss.”

“If you don’t get back to work you’re fired,” Duke told them tiredly.

“Atta boy!” Benny said. “Brave little toaster!”

Duke squeezed his eyes shut and let out a long sigh.

Today’s special!
I don’t know, fish or something

Luke’s was open.

okteiviakom

Well. Octavia was feeling more things than she had been on Sunday. That was probably good, even if it made Octavia feel (irony) like she would rather have been feeling much less than she was. Not that she really knew how to feel about the weekend yet. Too messy. Too --

Too much.

(The knowledge that they'd come back on Bellamy's birthday was a dull hole in the middle of her chest like it always was.)

She'd skipped therapy on Tuesday, on an excuse, feeling unable to even talk about any of it just yet. And too tired to feign that there was nothing to talk about. Instead, today in particular, she was feeling the call of the woods something fierce, but she was also not convinced Lucifer wouldn't freak out about it if she went out there right now.

Even coming out to work seemed like pushing it, somehow, but there she was. Wearing the new raccoon shirt Duke had gifted her last week (felt like months ago), because it drew attention away from the bandage around one of her arms, and covered up the rest of what was still healing.

She was on her phone, googling 'things to make you happy in ireland'. The bar on what would make for a good late birthday present trip for Duke was on the ground, now.

my_own_advocate

"How about a Sleeping Beauty theme?" Lucifer inquired. "You know, beds, lining the walls, a spot of taffeta here and there..."

As always, Lucifer rambled. As always, Tiny ignored him.

However, this time he was ignoring Lucifer while working on another Lucifer project: an enormous glass of cotton candy martini, with an even larger tuft of cotton candy on top. It was quite literally the size of a cow.

"Something to think about," said Lucifer.

[[ open ]]

betterthanaplan

Duke came into the diner today with a large cooler and several reusable shopping bags. Which, naturally, got a fairly ridiculous response from his staff.

"Holy shit," Ali said. "Therapy works."

Billy flung himself at Duke for a hug, nearly knocking the supplies out of his arms.

Greg, on the other hand, flung his hat to the floor and threw his arms in the air. "Oh great!" He stormed into the freezer and refused to come back out.

"Thanks, guys," Duke said, dry as a bone. "Love you, too."

Today's specials
CATCH OF THE DAY!
Tropical fruit roasted salmon

Luke's was open!

drumsticksandd20s

Actual, literal rainbow? Still in the sky, check.

Weather, still surprisingly cooperative? Also check.

Like last year, the parade was starting up near the lighthouse and passing all the businesses on that end of the island before making its way across, past Serenity Cove and the Arms Hotel. In a slight change from last year's route, it would then take a left up Griffin Way, a right onto Black Swan Drive, then down Minotaur Lane and onto Apocalypse Avenue to loop around the park and pass Galactica Point before doubling back to the park by way of Sphinx Street and Mallard Way.

The parade even seemed to have a grand marshal's float of sorts this year: Little Bot the souped-up Roomba from the Magpie Emporium, all painted in Pride flag colors with a shoebox full of the store's resident gamer gremlins on his back, each of them waving various flags. The glittery varieties, even. (Should anyone have concerns about the gremlins biting anyone, Little Bot was carrying a dented Cypher System core rulebook in two of his servo claws just in case they got ideas, but none of them seemed remotely interested in getting off of their float anyway.)

A low-key picnic was set up in the park at the end of it all -- nothing like yesterday's festival, though the decorations over the picnic tables remained -- with some rainbow pastries courtesy of JGoB, beverages, and fruit skewers. Yes, also in rainbow colors thanks to a variety of different fruits.

You know, just so everybody had a little recovery treat after all that hiking.

[OOC: ~~Please hold for a touch of OCD~~ Threads are up, have at!]

betterthanaplan

Duke had an appointment this evening with a new therapist Lucifer had ~~oh so handwavily~~ found for him in Baltimore.

He was very, very busy right now Not Thinking About That, though, so he was throwing himself wholeheartedly into finishing up the final touches on the rebuilt diner.

"No no no," he said. "The tie-dye has to go behind the lunch counter. The netting goes over the nook by the window."

Greg sighed and rolled his eyes. "I liked it better when you just ordered us around in the kitchen."

"And I liked it better when I trusted Sarah with a hammer, but we all see how that went, don't we." He pointed to the corner booth where two of the servers were icing each other's heads carefully while a third bit her nails and hovered anxiously. "You can go back to cooking when we're done."

"When's the grand reopening?" Georgie asked.

"Never," Duke said. "We've been open for an hour."

Today's specials
CATCH OF THE DAY
Crispy beer battered white fish

Luke's was open. And newly beachy-themed! Woo!

my_own_advocate

There were little lights strung up all around the Nest. It wasn't a bloody mad construction project or anything, so Lucifer was happy to let it go. He was, however, a bit on the tired end - one of those problems one got when one dated two humans who weren't always restful sleepers.

So he picked a spot in one of the booths and leaned back, wine in hand. He had a perfect view of the club this way.

[[ open ]]

gambles_everything

It was probably best not to ask where mayor Faden had found that much raw meat. Or what might happen to it later. But it was there, in the park, not far from where the beasts' portal had first appeared.

And it was working.

Weremongooses, werebeavers and werepigs, all came skulking out of the shadows to find the hoard. They were hungry, and some of the locals were chewy, you see.

They had no idea what was waiting for them.

[[ fighty post! open. ]]

betterthanaplan

The plan was for Duke to swing through the diner quickly this morning to just make sure everything was shipshape before heading back to the boat to help Lucifer keep Octavia the -- horrifying hyena-beast-thing -- secure.

The plan was being thwarted by the diner being . . . the diner.

( Attack of the werebeasts )

Today's specials
[illegible due to fire damage]

"Am I fired?" Ali asked tiredly, as he sat beside Duke on the stairs, watching the fire lick its way up to the loft above the remains of the diner.

"You kidding?" Duke passed him the bottle of bourbon he'd saved from his office. "You're getting a fucking raise. I should have redecorated ages ago."

Luke's was not open. And probably wouldn't be for a little while.

[But the post can be! Especially if anyone wants to fight a fire, a werehedgehog firefighter, or the moddable NPC weremoose and wereanteater!]

betterthanaplan

"No," Duke said.

"You're not even here most weeks," Greg said. "How do you know I'm not doing this all the time? Maybe I'm really good at it. You don't know."

"You're right," Duke agreed. "I don't. Which is why I'm saying no. Because unless and until I do know you're really good at making sushi with poisonous fish, you're not doing it on my watch in my diner."

Greg sulked and dropped the pufferfish back in its tank. The pufferfish deflated and somehow managed to look like it, too, was sulking.

"Does anyone else have any ideas for what the specials should be? That won't potentially kill our customers?"

Benny raised his hand with a grin.

Today's specials
Dinosaur-shaped fish nuggets with loaded waffle fries

"And now I remember why I haven't been here in ages," Duke said with a heavy sigh. "I'll . . . be in my office."

Luke's was open.

existencemisspent

Welcome, welcome, one and all! Spring is in the air, and Fandom is celebrating with a good, old fashioned haphazard market on the sketchy side of town! That's right, it's the

Fandom Flea Market!

There were signs up all over town, some nicely printed, others clearly hand scribbled. There were balloons and streamers on the propped open doors to the warehouse itself, and a raucous mix of deeply outdated party music blaring over a boombox from inside. And those were but preamble to the wonders that lay within. . . .

[Up early for timezone-y goodness. OCD is up and ready to go. HAVE AT YE!]

deathsmajesty

Liliana wasn't sure how, but the windows of the shop seemed even dirtier than before. If she hadn't dealt with the same exact issue at home, she would be more confused and irate about it. But this was apparently just How Things Were Here (much like the fast-changing weather) and so it merited no more than a sigh and bumping up 'obtain staff' a few notches higher on her mental to-do list.

It wasn't until she opened the door and found she could barely squeeze through with all the boxes in the way that she began to clue in that Something Was Amiss. She had bargained for a delivery of one box of artifacts per week and even assuming Nicol Bolas was being particularly generous (ha!) and send an extra box for her first week...there were far too many boxes here. She counted fifteen before she gave up.

"What in the Blind Eternities...?"

Contrary to first and perhaps even second impressions, Liliana was smart. Certainly smart enough to do basic math. And basic math was adding up to an answer she did not like.

And so, as she so frequently did when reality was displeasing to her (as it so frequently was), Liliana elected to ignore it for the time being. Relenting, she used a touch of black mana to at least clean the windows; she'd already done enough cleaning ~~in the past few--~~ for the time being, but she at least wanted to be able to see the outside. Then, propping this door open too, just in case, she dusted off her hands and got to work, opening up her boxes to take stock of her new inventory.

At least she wouldn't have to worry about running low on anything.

okteiviakom

The vibe at the Devil's Nest on this particular night was sleepy. Yes, it was kind of an off atmosphere for a night club. No, Octavia didn't really know what to do about it.

For the most part, she was just trying not to nod off behind the bar. It was a really persuasive sort of mood that had fallen upon the club, okay? She was doing her best.

Also, the specials board just read COFFEE.

[ooc: Open, somewhat method RP.]

hasaknightjob

Even after hitting the gym Marc was still on autopilot mode. There was stuff he needed to handle, and he needed to grab some food.

Figuring he may as well multitask, he stopped by the Perk to grab a coffee and the finest turkey sandwich a coffee shop had to offer (possibly while thinking fond thoughts of that pastrami he'd had back in 1910 New York).

Marc then posted up at a table by the window and started getting caught up on his emails and the like.

Yes, he was still ignoring a certain set of text messages. What of it?

[open!]

my_own_advocate

Sorry if anyone needed Lucifer today. They were going to have to shake him awake.

Don't ask why he was this tired. He just was.

Tiny dipped into the booth from which the snores came, every now and again, to leave Lucifer another martini. Somehow, the drinks kept disappearing in between check-ups. Hm.

[[ open-ish ]]

okteiviakom

Octavia had had no nemesis to worry about. She also had zero ability for doing anything useful for solving the island's latest crisis, which left her with... a gnawing sense of existential unease about where her life was at, and where it seemed to be in some other universes. (And who with.) No big deal! Totally fine.

The least she'd been able to do about any of it had been to try and make herself feel a little more comfortable in her own skin. This explained the deep purple sweater she was currently sporting, as well as the bag from one of the clothing stores in town that was sitting next to her in the booth at the Perk.

The very tall thing of coffee and the giant pastry? Well, those were supposedly going to help, too.

... She was so ready for people to fix this already so she could go home.

[ooc: Open place in town is open!]

betterthanaplan

Well. Duke's apartment was still around on this bizarro-Fandom, but it clearly wasn't his apartment. It looked like it hadn't been lived in in awhile, in fact, and like the last person who'd lived there had been obsessed with conspiracies about UFOs and possibly immigration reform.

But at least his diner was the same.

Mostly.

"Why the hell would I have spent the morning fishing when I could have spent it doing something useful or beautiful?" Duke asked. "Like sleeping." He shook his head. "Anyway, this is a diner, not a fancy seafood place. Just make a burger or something."

Today's specials
Free lunch for whoever can diagnose our weird boss

"I'm not weird, you are!"

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

"You guys are getting way too hung up on the name of this dish," Duke informed his kitchen staff. "No, it's not a reference to my fishing style, and no, it's not supposed to explode."

"Okay," said Greg. "But is it at least made with nitroglycerin?"

". . . No."

Today's specials
Baked dynamite

Luke's was open. And not likely to explode. We're, like. 99% sure.

betterthanaplan

". . . Shit," Duke said as he walked into the diner's kitchen. "I totally forgot I was going to go fishing this morning."

Today's specials
~~CATCH~~ OPENED CAN OF THE DAY:
Island-style sardines and rice

Luke's was open. If maybe a little spacey today.

betterthanaplan

"What the hell is that?" Duke asked, watching Benny carry a jiggling, dripping bag across the kitchen.

"Today's special!" He beamed. "I caught it myself!"

"Please tell me it's not a blobfish."

"It's not a blobfish," everyone said obediently.

". . . Right. You know what? Carry on. I . . . am going to go keep working on paperwork."

Today's specials
CATCH OF THE DAY!
Spicy jellyfish salad
(Secret to GOOD SKIN!)

Luke's was open.

betterthanaplan

It was eerily quiet in the diner today. Half the staff wasn't speaking to the other half, for reasons Duke refused to ask about, three of them had apparently somehow managed to lose their voices celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day a few days ago, and at least one person had tape over their mouths to mark their silent protest of . . . again, Duke wasn't going to ask.

The only sound, in fact, was Benny the busboy eerily humming Depeche Mode.

Duke was just going to hide in his office today.

Today's specials!
Deep fried softshell crab
STABBY! NOOOO!
Oh my god you're a child
YOU'RE A MONSTER!

Luke's was open. If currently at an uneasy detente.

betterthanaplan

It was Thursday again, and Octavia was still a raccoon. So Duke once again brought her with him to the diner and set her up in her own booth-full-of-shiny-things.

She was somewhat less engrossed in the shiny things today, instead staring up at the ceiling and chattering at something. Duke just poured himself a nice strong Irish coffee and steadfastly refused to look at what it might be.

"Boss," Ali said. "There's a cat --"

"No," Duke told him. Smiling over the lip of his mug. "Nope. I don't want to know. It's not literally strapped to my back so I refuse to care."

Today's specials
CATCH OF THE DAY!
Good ol' fashioned crab feast!
Free mallet with every plate!

"Steve, so help me, if you give that mallet to whatever is on the ceiling you're fired."

Luke's was open.

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