The Perk, Wednesday afternoon

[betterthanaplan]

If Duke went back to his boat right now, he was just going to end up drinking again. Or possibly weighing anchor and disappearing for several days -- which, tempting as it was, he had plans with Rey at the end of the week which promised to be very distracting. So instead he headed to the Perk for a very large cup of coffee and maybe some food to stave off the hangover he could feel lurking in the edges of his head. And if he added a splash of hair of the dog to that coffee . . . well, that was no one's business but his own.

The staff thankfully decided not to antagonize him today. Possibly because he was still wearing a bit of the glare he'd used on the terror birds in class this morning. He tipped them well (no one was going to fucking starve on his account, dammit) and went to grab a seat in a corner, where he tried not to glare too hard at anyone else coming in.

Judging by the way most people seemed to be trying not to look directly at him, it didn't seem to be working.

[open, la!]

Comments

[1000yearstoolate]

Seivarden hand even managed to get into an argument with the baristas when she saw Duke.

"Duke! How are you?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Fine."

He did not sound fine, no. He did, after a moment, make an effort to at least be civil, though.

"What's up?"

[1000yearstoolate]

That didn't even convince Seivarden, who wasn't the most perceptive of people.

"I'll just get a cup of tea and then I'll join you."

After a brief argument with the baristas she returned, a cup in her hand, and took a seat.

[betterthanaplan]

"They even do decent tea here?"

Was he deliberately trying to get Seivarden off on a tangent to avoid talking about his own issues? Yes. He absolutely was.

[1000yearstoolate]

"It's acceptable if you argue with them so that they make it properly."

Seivarden felt no need to talk about things Duke preferred not to tell her, she was better at distraction."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was all for distractions, right now.

"How do you make it properly?" he asked. "Other than putting on gloves."

[1000yearstoolate]

"No teabags." Seivarden wrinkled her nose. "No artificial flavours. And no tricks like opening a tea bag and pretending it's loose leaf. It still tastes like it's been swept off the floor."

[betterthanaplan]

". . . 'Cause it's stale or something?" Duke guessed. "Honestly, I basically never drink tea. I'm not sure what the difference there actually is."

[1000yearstoolate]

"Obviously that has to change," Seivarden said. "I have a nice selection of teas in the flower shop, stop by some time."

She didn't add: You really look like you could need a cup of tea right now.

[betterthanaplan]

"I heard." Octavia had been . . . less than enthusiastic about that development in the flower shop. "What's tea got that coffee doesn't?"

[1000yearstoolate]

Seivarden just looked at him. "You really have to try some decent tea."

[betterthanaplan]

"Hmm." Duke sipped his coffee. "You're not a very persuasive person, are you."

[1000yearstoolate]

"I've never had to persuade anyone to drink tea before," Seivarden pointed out, then took a sip from her cup.

[my_own_advocate]

"Yes, I'd like to order another one of those ridiculous extreme shake monstrosities," Lucifer said, grin big as he strode up to the counter.

Took a glance over his shoulder at whoever else was in the Perk, and-- "Actually, make that two, and put one on an IV. I think we've got an emergency on our hands."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke rolled his eyes and snorted.

"So you do come out of the club sometimes," he said. "For reasons other than sex, even. I was starting to wonder."

[my_own_advocate]

"Tetchy," Lucifer said, shooting him a minorly scandalized look. "Did something crawl into your cereal this morning?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Long night," Duke said, and then, because Lucifer was a friend and he didn't want to alienate the guy completely, added "Family shit. You know how it goes."

[my_own_advocate]

"Eugh," Lucifer said, wincing in sympathy. "Do I ever."

He leaned over the counter. "I don't suppose you're willing to add a shot of whiskey to his-- well, it was worth a shot."

He looked back to Duke, sighed, adjusted his suit, and walked to his table. Sank down into a seat. "I do have whiskey on me, if you'd like."

[betterthanaplan]

"I appreciate that," Duke said, entirely honestly for all that it came with a faint smirk. He pulled his flask from his inner jacket pocket, just far enough to show it existed. "Got it covered, though."

He sighed and sat up a little straight at the table. "What's this monstrosity you ordered?"

[my_own_advocate]

"An extreme shake," Lucifer said, smirking a bit himself. "It's when they take an already decadent milkshake and add so many doughnuts, cookies, sprinkles, whipped cream and cupcakes that it contains roughly the amount of calories you'd normally find in a full all-you-can-eat buffet."

[betterthanaplan]

"That sounds. . . ." Horrifying. Deadly. Like America in a cup. ". . . Decadent."

[my_own_advocate]

"I think it's my fourth favorite invention this century," Lucifer said. "The only downside is that it takes them at least five to ten minutes to make."

[betterthanaplan]

"The only one," Duke said. ". . . I guess if you're immortal, anyway." He shook his head. "What are your top three inventions, then?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Smartphones would be the third," Lucifer mused. "Supermarket deliveries to your doorstep by drone would be the second. And the first would be Tinder, Grindr, OkCupid, and basically every dating app besides eHarmony."

[betterthanaplan]

"Well. Now I just feel old fashioned. I've used, like, one of those."

He had a smartphone now! But he predated a lot of that stuff.

"What's wrong with eHarmony?"