| Experiment One; [Joe] | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 19 2016, 02:10 AM (340 Views) | |
| Supnitle | Jul 19 2016, 02:10 AM Post #1 |
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Monika Apologist
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Nagashima had a burger deficit. It wasn't as though there weren't any places that sold them in town, but it was just that none of them were actually good. Seeing an opportunity, given that the place she worked at was called the Peach Grill, Momo decided to revamp the selection of dishes that involved meat between two buns with other stuff on it. Honestly, the basic recipe wasn't anything too fancy - some Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce, some Cayenne, some smoked paprika - but just using fresh ingredients and cooking them properly would give them a pretty substantial leg up on most of the competition. Thankfully, the owner was a big proponent of all of these things. Momo wasn't particularly surprised that the place had been so popular before her predecessor had left; Hayashi knew what he was doing. She'd needed test dummies, however, to try out the new burgers before she put them out to market. Momo had plenty of other plans for the menu, but this was the one she was working on for the moment and the one she was most invested in. Thankfully, she conveniently had a cute little brother who lived in Nagashima and had friends who enjoyed eating food. A quick phone call later, Ryuunosuke and some Kaburagi kid were on their way to the mostly-empty Peach Grill. The layout of the bistro made things really convenient for Momo to interact with customers. There was the dining area, and attached to that was an 'open kitchen' - there was no wall separating the outer kitchen, Momo's primary workspace, and the tables, and there was a counter where people could eat next to where their food was being prepared. Much of the prep work was done behind a wall, of course, just for the sake of sanitation, but it gave the appearance that all the food was being prepared right there in front of them. Despite there barely being any customers and the two test burgers already completed and placed on the counter, Momo was still a blur of motion: cleaning surfaces, prepping ingredients, washing plates, just moving around constantly and getting work done. It was the most relaxing way to work for her. |
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| asano_man | Jul 19 2016, 11:11 PM Post #2 |
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Thinkin bout abs
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Since returning to Nagashima, Joe had mainly subsisted on nutrient bars and cup ramen due to living on a very tight budget. So when Ryuunosuke said his sister was in town and wanted to give them free food, Joe jumped at the opportunity. It could literally just be a bowl full of natto, Joe would still be 100% on board. When he got to the Peach Grill, he immediately felt out of place. It wasn't as if the place was especially fancy or anything. In fact, the place felt very down to earth and welcoming. It was Joe that was different. It had been so long since he had been to a place like this, it was like he didn't belong anymore. This didn't dissuade him, of course. He was used to feeling unwanted and the power of food was stronger than the social stigma of looking like how he looked. Besides, basically no one was here so it wasn't like he was going to make anybody uncomfortable. A wonderful scent caught Joe's attention and his eyes were drawn to two plates sitting at the bar area. Those had to be the test dishes. His mouth began watering and his legs started moving on their own. Before he knew it, he was sitting on the stool with his fingers wrapped around the delicious smelling burger. He was so focused on the food that he didn't notice the chef behind the counter in constant motion. It didn't even occur to him to wait for Ryuunosuke. |
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| Supnitle | Jul 19 2016, 11:54 PM Post #3 |
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Monika Apologist
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Halfway through cleaning off a plate, Momo looked up to see some dirty hobo wander in and grab one of her test burgers. "Hey!" She called out. Stomping over to the part of the counter where Joe was sitting, she reached over and slapped the burger out of his hands and back onto the plate. She glared at him and pointed a finger. "What do you think you're doing? You can't just come in here and start eating someone else's food without asking!" Ryuunosuke walked in then, and immediately froze, seeing the exchange and immediately wondering what went wrong. Momo turned and smiled, her expression changing in an instant. "Hey, Ryuu! One second, let me just deal with this..." She looked back at Joe, and her visage was back to frigid cold. "Get outta here! If you want food, you're gonna have to order like everyone else!" |
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| asano_man | Jul 20 2016, 01:58 AM Post #4 |
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Thinkin bout abs
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Before the burger could reach Joe's mouth, it was smacked out of his hands. His head snapped up to glare at the offender. 'What the hell?!' It was at that point that the gears started turning in his head again and he realized that maybe he had looked a little suspicious. Still, she didn't have to be so damn rude about it! Joe remembered that he and Ryuu were suppose to meet Ryuu's sister here. Maybe Joe could find her and she could sort this all out. Except there didn't seem to be anybody else out here. And the woman yelling at him did have a lot of similar facial features... As if to confirm the thought, the woman called out to someone. Joe followed her eyes to find Ryuunosuke looking aghast. He returned to looking at the woman he now recognized as his friend's sister, a scowl on his face, as she started yelling at him again. It didn't even occur to her that maybe Joe was Ryuunosuke's friend. Of course not. Joe was just some delinquent, after all. Joe waited until she was done scolding him before he turned back to Ryuu and waved. 'Yo, Trippin. Sorry, got here a bit early. You see your sister anywhere around here? I think you should introduce us.' His gaze remained fixed on Ryuunosuke, as if the chef didn't even exist. Edited by asano_man, Jul 20 2016, 02:07 AM.
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| Supnitle | Jul 20 2016, 03:09 PM Post #5 |
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Monika Apologist
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Momo's expression became as horrified as Ryuunosuke's was as Joe started to talk to her brother. Ryuunosuke, confirming the thought on her mind, slowly walked over and stood between his friend and his sister. "Um... Kaburagi-san, this is Momo, my sister. Momo, uh... th-this is my friend, Joe Kaburagi." There was a long, silent pause as Momo looked at Joe, then back at Ryuunosuke, expression unreadable. "... Really?" "... yeah." Momo turned back to Joe, face flat. "One second." She then grabbed the plates with the burgers on them, pulled them back behind the counter, and then roughly motioned for Ryuunosuke to move to a different section of the counter, away from Joe. The siblings leaned in, whispering among themselves. Occasionally, Momo glanced back at Joe, eyeing him cautiously. |
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| asano_man | Jul 20 2016, 07:51 PM Post #6 |
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Thinkin bout abs
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When Ryuunosuke introduced the two, Joe turned back to Momo with faux-surprise. 'Oh, you're his sister. See, I noticed a family resemblance, but I didn't want to assume based off of looks.' The last part of that sentence was delivered with some bite in his voice and an icy stare. Moments later, Momo was dragging Ryuunosuke off to the side, but not before taking the food behind the counter. Joe's hand shot after the food, but it was too late. He flopped down onto the counter. He was down for a few seconds before slowly pulling himself back up, planting his head on his hand and drumming the fingers of his other hand impatiently on the counter top. Goddammit. That had not gone the way he had hoped. All he wanted was to have good food and hang out with Ryuu and his sister. He was already regretting acting like a jerk a couple seconds ago. Sure, Momo had overreacted, but it's not like this was the first time someone had judged Joe immediately off of his looks. Then again, there she was, off to the side whispering and staring as if Joe was some dangerous animal in a cage. Every time she glanced over, Joe felt another pang of anger that built up and up and up. He was torn between being a good friend and letting them get it out of their systems or being a dignified human being and confronting them and what the hell even was this situation? Why did he have to deal with this? Wasn't he Ryuunosuke's friend? Why did they care what he looked like or how he acted? Better yet, why did Joe even give a damn? It was bullshit. Joe wished he could turn off any desires to be connected with others and just stop caring. Joe shuddered as a weird feeling came over him, but he waved it off as a symptom of him being pretty totally pissed off. That was enough waiting. He leaned back and looked at the others. 'Hey, so, sorry I was a dick to you that one time,' he said, looking at Momo. 'Think we could act like adults and actually hash this out face to face? You know, instead of huddling in a corner and gossiping about each other?' That hadn't been the unifying olive branch of an invitation he had wanted it to be, but he felt he was justified in being a little snotty. |
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| Supnitle | Jul 21 2016, 02:30 AM Post #7 |
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Monika Apologist
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"This is your friend? Are you serious?" "I-I know he looks a little rough, but - " "He looks like one of the guys who used to beat you up!" "K-Kaburagi-san would never do that! He's..." Momo scowled at Joe, not replying immediately. Who was this guy to come into her restaurant, grab the food she had prepared without permission, and then lecture her about not acting like an adult?! Apparently, he was Ryuunosuke's friend. Frankly, Momo was suspicious. Maybe he was blackmailing her little brother or something, forcing him around with him or extorting for money. He certainly hadn't done anything since walking in to make Momo think he was a good person. Regardless, Ryuunosuke was starting to give her the pleading eyes, now, so she'd have to relent for now. She grunted uncommittally, walking back over to Joe and not making eye contact. Ryuunosuke followed, sitting next to Joe and whispering, "I-I'm sorry, she can be a little overpro..." He stopped immediately once Momo looked at him, raising an eyebrow. She plopped the two plates with the burgers back onto the counter. "Alright, alright. Eat up. Just don't give me any more lip, and we'll be fine." The burger was delicious. |
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| asano_man | Jul 21 2016, 03:07 AM Post #8 |
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Thinkin bout abs
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As the two came back over, Joe avoided eye contact as well. She told him not to give her any more lip and he considered doing just that, but in the interest of not ruining yet another relationship, he decided to keep his mouth shut. Joe stared down at the burger in front of him. Figured. All the stupidness had made him lose his appetite. Now that he was starting to calm down, he was feeling more and more at fault. 'I'm sorry, man,' he said to Ryuunosuke. 'God, where ever I go, I manage to fuck somethin up. You think I'd be used to this shit by now.... I'll apologize to her next chance I get.' With that, he finally picked up the burger and took a small bite. His eyes widened slightly. 'Huh,' he said, turning to Ryuu. 'This is a tasty burger.' |
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| Supnitle | Jul 21 2016, 11:32 PM Post #9 |
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Monika Apologist
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Momo had walked away, stepping into the backroom to cool off and maybe check to see if any of her co-workers were doing anything wrong. This gave Joe and Ryuunosuke a window to converse without Momo hearing. Ryuunosuke shook his head. "No, it's fine! Momo just, um, worries about me a lot. She can be a little over-protective. I'm sure it'll all be fine if you apologize." He took that opportunity to take a bite out of the burger in front of him. His eyes widened at the same time as Joe's, although he was slower to chew and then swallow. He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, wow. I knew my sister was going to culinary school, but I think this is the best burger I've had in Nagashima." He paused, scratching his head. "Although, I don't think I've had too many." |
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| asano_man | Jul 22 2016, 07:29 AM Post #10 |
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Thinkin bout abs
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Ryuunosuke's reassurance that everything would be fine made Joe feel a bit better, which let some of his appetite show back up. He took another bite of the burger. He was starting to feel a little guilty just because of how good it was. Momo had obviously worked very hard on this dish and Joe had been a complete prick in response. He might have to get on his knees and bow in apology because of how delicious this food was. 'This definitely beats the shit out of any burger I've ever had,' Joe responded. 'She went to school for this? Damn, I believe it. What school? I mean, not that I'd recognize it, I guess.' Joe was sure he had heard the name's of culinary schools before, but those were all famous and ritzy places. Those places took talent AND money to get into. |
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