April 08, 2018:
In which Phoebe and Mindee go out to dinner. Mindee tries to be friendly with Darcy while Phoebe moodily mucks with everything around them using her telepathy. It goes as well as you'd expect.
Joe's Diner
A greasy spoon hole in the wall in Brooklyn. Mostly known for being cheap and convenient.
Characters
![class="image1"](http://cmbeta.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images//class="image1"/medium.jpg)
NPCs: Joe of Joe'sDiner, random diners
Mentions:
Plot:
Mood Music: [*\#https://youtu.be/HtXOVKNazYU "Pretty Girl Rock" - Keri Hilson]
Fade In…
*
Joe's Diner. It's a hole in the wall greasy spoon of a place. And the uniforms are straight out of the 1950s… and mustard yellow. Darcy's not the happiest about it, but it's a paycheck, the tips sometimes has her making enough to catch back up on bills, and she got to eat whatever slop the cook made for her at the end of her shift.
Today is shaping up to be the same as everyother day, and Darcy busses a table that just left, pocketing the meager $5 tip she was left.
*
Joe's is a hole in the war 50s deco retro pastiche diner with a deplorable colour scheme? It isn't really a stretch to say that most people who come through the door are working class stiffs who just want their coffee black, their food greasy but filling, and not too much interaction. Some of them leer at Darcy as they take their meals but for the most part the yellow wards them off and so the shifts aren't too cringy in that regard. It's all part of being a waitress. The tip is a nice surprise from a young man who was awkwardly trying to hit on her the entire time he ordered.
"H-hi…"
"Hello! What are you having for dinner tonight? Cheeseburger is the special tonight, only $6 and comes with fries."
"…Hi."
Right.
This is a little different. The door breezes open and a pair of young woman stride through in a way that simply demands the attention of over half the room. They are petite blondes, 5'6' but slender, with a fantastic figure that isn't really hidden by the ostensibly moderately conservative combination of a white blouse, blue blazer, and pleated blue tartan skirt just above knee length, high white socks, and black one-inch heels. Long legs, wide azure eyes, perfect skin.
Someone spent a week putting on their makeup. So why are they here?
The two young women take up a booth together on the left side of the diner near the counter and smile as they glance around the room. The girl on the right side flashes Darcy a smile. The girl on the left flashes a pudgy middle-thirties man in a t-shirt and jeans a glare.
Might be an interesting night.
*
The fashionista twins draw Darcy's attention as well, and with the table cleaned, she makes her way over. She noted the glare, and that man was a regular, at least as far as Darcy has been able to gather. So, the broke girl diner waitress puts herself between them and brings the best 'I am way too tired for this shit' smile on her face. She did not take a week on her makeup. She took five minutes, but the winged liner is even and nicely done and the bright red lip looks a stable.
"Hi. What can I get you ladies to drink?"
*
Rogue arrives from Lower Manhattan.
*
Up close, Darcy might discover it's worse. The Cuckoo 'twins' might not have spent a week on their makeup; this might be the girls' actual appearance. No one deserves to be that perky and well-rested, truthfully.
"Coffee," they chime in unison. Then they shake their heads. The first states, "I think we're a bit too hyper. Do you have decaf already up?"
The second girl settles back and lets her sister do the talking. She's the moodier one, but at least she doesn't keep trying to stare down the regular from her half of the booth.
"Slow night?" girl one asks. The place is basically empty, after all. She glances down at the uniform name tag. "Hi, Darcy. My name is Mindee. I'll… Try to keep a handle on my sister for you."
Said sister just grins a little for the moment.
*
"Hi, Mindee," Darcy replies easily enough. Her eyes are appreciative and envious all rolled into one. Identical twins and they are gorgeous. Darcy gives them a nod for their order.
"Sure do. I'll get two decafs ready for you. Need a bit more time on the menu? Joe's special today is the cheeseburger," she adds. Because ya gotta push the special.
*
"Just a little bit, please," Mindee replies with a gleaming smile for Darcy's benefit. She folds her hands politely at the edge of the table and glances at the other girl who nods. Mindee actually watches Darcy appreciatively as she walks away, without quite leering. She actually strikes a bit of a pose when Darcy looks her over. Practicedly photogenic, then.
*
Darcy takes in the pose, and hopes the girls don't go full Prima Dona bitch more on her. The hungry headache is already in full swing.
Two cups of decaf, a bowl of creamer, and two glasses of water are al put onto a tray and taken out to the twins.
"Here you are. If you're ready, I can take your order. Or I can swing by again in a little bit," she comments.
*
"I guess I'll take the cheeseburger. Phoebe is looking for a house salad, I guess, honey mustard dressing?" Mindee cocks her head slightly and glances at Phoebe, who nods.
The place is deader than it should be this time of night. At least it means there's plenty of time for chitchat. The guy in the next booth gets up and leaves his food about two-thirds finished.
"We're not really used to this area but I moved recently and I'm kind of trying to get the lay of the land…" Mindee pauses for a beat. "Starting with important thin, like milkshakes. Can you tell me how the ones here are?"
*
Order notepad taken out, Darcy jots down the order.
"You want everything on the burger?" she asks, even as she jots down the house salad with honey mustard without much thought about it.
"Milkshakes? They're not the most terrible things. They aren't as amazing as some other places. A sold 5, but it's actual real ice cream, and I can toss some chopped nuts, choco syrup, and a couple of cherries on top; no probs," Darcy says, imagining the milkshake with a twist of an empty stomach. Oh, how she misses the Meal Plan. Oh well.
*
"Yes, everything on the burger." After a moment, Mindee glances around. "To be honest, I am completely lost around here. I could use a tour guide." Mindee shifts very slightly in her seat, hands folded in her lap.
"…You know, I think I'm the last table you have. Your boss seems to have checked out. Want to sit down with me for a moment and totally cheat on your meal plans for tonight? Milkshaek is *probably* big enough to share." Mindee flashes a positively salacious grin at the thought of the icecream and arches a brow as she glances to the open seats across from her.
*
A glance around the now empty diner, Darcy forces a smile. Inwardly, she's groaning since a lack of customers means a lack of tips and a lack of tips tonight means that rent - due tomorrow - isn't a thing that's going to happen. She may have to beg for an extension… and flash more than a little cleavage to secure it.
"Yeah. Sure. Lemme get your orders in," she says, adding a milkshake to the ticket as she heads to the counter. The ticket, with the time, is put on the kitchen side rail and the bell rung.
"ORDER IN!" she yells into the window, before turning awya to bus table and clean up so that when the diner is neat and tidy again, but still empty, Mindee and Phoebe's orders are ready. Darcy finishes the milkshake just in time to add it to the tray and the lot of it is brought out and set out before each sister.
"Here you are, ladies." she says, seeming to have forgotten she was going to sit and join them, since it's not on her mind.
*
Owen Mercer arrives from Queens.
*
Owen Mercer heads out to Lower Manhattan.
*
And then it is. "Sit with me," Mindee insists gently, still smiling. That was what they'd agreed on, right? Phoebe surveys the room quietly. Darcy does find a few good tips hidden under dishes, but it's not enough. The business is kind of slow some nights and it seems she's run into a a very unfortunately timed slump. Some place down the stret probably started offering bacon and eggs at half price. It's how Denny's took over the west coast, after all.
"Does your shift go awhile longer tonight?" Mindee asks as she tilts her head slightly, those azure eyes focused firmly onto Darcy's for now. "Plans after?" She pours some of the shake into the second cup she'd asked for and then sips her drink politely. Meanwhile, she pokes a little deeper. Just how *much* of rent is missing, anyway?
Phoebe gets a glance which the shrewd might think a glare. She shrugs a little. Darcy missing rent is apparently a small price to pay.
*
Sit. Darcy hesitates a half moment before setting the tray aside and settling down to the bench across from Mindee and Phoebe. She's releaved to be off her feet, since they hurt a bit, and she's more tired than she's like to admit.
"I'm closing tonight," she replies. Which means another six hours at least. In her mind, Darcy grumbles about stupid fresh outta high school irresponsible college baby calling in sick today when yesterday she had been telling Darcy about having tickets to a concert and she and her boyfriend were goign to go and so what if she missed a shift. Darcy took the shift because it meant more hours, more tips, and a better chance at getting the last $100 she needed for rent tonight. If this, the start of dinner, was a sign Darcy prepares herself to be short. The offered milkshake serving is taken with a soft smile.
"Thank you. Ah, no. No plans, really. Just gonna be a lame adult, head home, do laundy, get some sleep, that sort of thing," is the reply, Darcy's green eyes noting the interplay between the two. Twin speak, has to be. Darcy remembers her Derby Wife. On the track, they could do that; glance at each other and know exactly what hte other was thinking.
*
"You're right, that is lame," Mindee teases, squinting slightly as she looks at Darcy past the rim fo her glass. "Who *does* that?" Then there's a soft laugh and Mindee quickly shakes her head. "No, I get it. Lat day of the month , stuff needs to get taken care of. Dinner rush to work through…" She glances at the restaurant and the nshakes her head briefly.
"Okay, so. If you didn't have to work tonight where would you be? Tell me if you want me to shtut up. I just haven't really met anyone around here yet other than my sisters and I'm just… Starved for conversation, I guess." Mindee's laughteer is soft and sweet, but at least it's rather self-aware.
*
Right? Who does that? Honestly? Darcy does that. She's a fucking adult now. It has Darcy smirking as she slurps on the milkshake, head shaking lightly at herself. After all, she's got a Masters degree. Her life should be all put together. Oh well. Fights worth having and all. Darcy rolls her eyes at the LACK of a dinner rush.
"This is hardly a rush, but yeah," she quips before settling back to think what she would normally be doing.
A few weeks ago, she was in Genosha. So if asked then, she'd have been finishing up the last of state meetings and the coordination of supplies before checking up on her friend and then settling in for some sleep. Before that… out for a drink with some of the IT guys, or field agents, or hitting the rink to skate away her annoyance of the day before going to a bar with some other skaters or Thor or Clark or Barton or…. Darcy sighs again.
"Probably at home, doing laundry. I'm super lame now. And I'll let you know if you're bugging me, really," she adds smiling a bit more genuinely.
*
After a moment Joe comes out from the back of the diner. he looks vaguely irritated. The man sighs and shakes his head. as he looks over the bar. "Look, you're covering for Amanda, right? We don't have anyone coming in so I'm going to send you home early and think about closing up." He actually looks vaguely apologetic, but there's resolve there as well. "I'll go ahead and do the cleaning. …What's left of it."
Mindee arches a brow, then glances back at her sister, She frowns faintly but then there's a brief nod. Joe says to Mindee, "Take your time. Of course." The woman nods once and then sips her milkshake again politely.
Phoebe winces. No one saw what hit her, right?
"I don't think you're lame at all," Mindee assures Darcy then. "I'm glad you're indulging me. I really appreciate it, actually." Then there's a pause. "It sounds like you're… Not so busy adulting now, apparently." There's contrition in the girl's tone. It can't be her fault, of course. She's lifting her purse up to table height.
*
Darcy catches the movement of the door as Joe makes his way out. She's pushing up even as he's starting to talk and so she freezes there, eyes a bit wide.
"Umm.. yeah," is all she says. Going home early sounds lovely, it really does. Darcy has laundry to do, and with rent so tight, she doesn't have the funds to use the machines at the coin op. She's got to wash the urgent for tomorrow in the sink and hang it all to dry in her shower and kitchen. It's Joe's resolution to do the cleaning that has Darcy frowning lightly.
"You sure, Joe? I don't mind." He NEVER wants to do the front of house cleaning. What the hell?
So forcused on Joe's odd moment, Darcy fails to see Phoebe wince, timed after Mindee looks to her. The sound of her voice draws Darcy's attention.
"I..I guess I'm not. It's… my pleasure." Confused Darcy is slightly confused but looking to just roll with it. Her life was crazy once not so long ago. This shouldn't be so odd seeming.
*
"So." There's a pause while Mindee considers this a moment. "Phoebe has somewhere she needs to be," she begins while glancing over at her sister. It takes a half second but the other girl nods along with it. "I have some tickets and I was thinking of seeing the amusement park. Since I don't know anyone else around here… Would yo ulike to come?"
Wide, brilliant azure eyes meet Darcy's and Mindee flashes her an earnest, youthful grin. Her milkshake glass hides precisely what she is doing with her purse. "If that isn't *way* too forward. I didn't eally wnat ot go alone."
*
Mindee glances. Darcy glances. The delay is noted and Dracy brings her green gaze back to Mindee, a sense of wariness covering her thoughts.
"I wouldn't mind, but there's no way I can afford it," Darcy says, moving to push up from the table.
*
"I wouldn't be much of a host if I made you pay. But another time, maybe? I'll stop in another time and say hi. Phoebes is heading back upstate in a little bit so it'll just be me." Mindee gets up from the table. "Thank you for the milkshake." Mindee gets to her feet and heads for the door, leaving behind a large tip. It isn't $100, but with everything else Darcy's found on the tables… It's just enough, with like $3 to spare.