Luke's, Thursday

[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.

Comments

[hasaknightjob]

Luke's wasn't exactly on the way home from the Museum now. But with the kitchen at the new place not fully ready yet that meant takeout for dinner. And, given that one of the options that was nearby the new place was the Lobster Hut - well suffice it to say sometimes you got your steps in in order to get some variety.

So there was Marc, since Thursday nights tended to be his thing once Steven got off work, swinging by the diner to pick up some dinner to go.

"Hey," he said to Duke, loquacious as always.

[betterthanaplan]

"Marc," Duke greeted with a nod.

He'd normally follow that with something like 'how's it going', but, well. See above, re: the mood.

[hasaknightjob]

That was okay, Marc had other considerations that were immediately coming to mind. "Did this place always have a second floor?"

[betterthanaplan]

"It did not," Duke said. "But then there was a whole thing where it burned down. So now it does."

[hasaknightjob]

The thing was Marc had been to Luke's after it burned down. But Marc was also not who anyone would call the most observant of people.

"Huh," he said. He went up to take a look around. "Not bad. Quiet."

[betterthanaplan]

It was also something that Duke's mun had not bothered to point out in awhile, so there was that, too! ;D

"It has its perks," Duke agreed.

He should probably, like, go downstairs to offer to get Marc food.

He sipped his beer instead.

[my_own_advocate]

Duke had left for work. That was a good thing, no?

... Yes.

Lucifer poked his head in a short time after lunch, and immediately found himself frowning. "Are you drinking?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke paused, beer partway to his mouth. ". . . No." Then he took a swig.

That's what you got for asking a silly question, Lucifer.

(It was fine. He hadn't actually taken his meds in, like, a week!)

[hasaknightjob]

Marc currently lived in a building that did things like spontaneously made shelves on the walls for a cat to climb up and watch people from. He wasn't going to question the logistics of buildings with new second floors.

"How've you been doing?" Marc asked. He could kind of guess from looking but still.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer eyed him as he approached. He was not, in any way, good at being the no-fun police, but that was... worrying. "Isn't that supposed to mix poorly with the medication? Octavia's always going on about that."

For some value of 'going on about it' that was 'mentioning it', sure.

[betterthanaplan]

"Fantastic," Duke said. Around another mouthful of beer. "You?"

[betterthanaplan]

"She's mentioned it once or twice," Duke agreed.

He didn't put the beer down.

"It's my first drink in, like. A month." He glanced down at the bottle. ". . . First set of drinks."

He was on maybe his third beer, now.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc leaned against a table to get comfortable. "I own real estate now. 'course it's as crazy as I am so it works out."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke raised his beer in salute. "Mazel tov."

[hasaknightjob]

Marc nodded in acknowledgement. "Somebody's got to keep an eye on the place. May as well be me."

[my_own_advocate]

Don't look at Lucifer like he knew exactly what a human alcohol tolerance was supposed to be like.

"Right," he said, fumbling for a second for some kind of 'I am concerned about you and will show that concern'-style answer, realized he didn't have one, and, somewhat short-circuiting, opted to sit down opposite Duke rather than say anything else.

[betterthanaplan]

"What, is it like . . . built on chicken legs or something? Liable to run off?"

Duke had spent a not-inconsiderable amount of time in Russia in his day. He'd heard stories.

[hasaknightjob]

"It's alive," Marc said. "You hear about the place that trapped people? It's that. Leave it to its own devices and it's not great. Give it something to do and it's fine."

Okay it had only been a few weeks of the place having a purpose but there'd been no incidents so far so Marc was calling that proof of concept.

[betterthanaplan]

"You want one?" Duke offered. "I can get Bobby to grab you one."

If he went downstairs now, his staff was likely to scatter in panic.

[betterthanaplan]

"Ah." He hadn't heard, but that was because he'd been avoiding the radio as part of his 'avoid the world' strategy. "And its new 'something to do' is . . . you?"

That sounded practically Audrey-dealing-with-a-trouble-like. You know, where the solution worked, but looking at it too closely made your head hurt.

[hasaknightjob]

Marc made a so-so motion with his hand, because the solution wasn't not him. "To be a home. Actually have people living there who want to be there. We're making part of it a boarding house to go along with that."

The longer version of this explanation was that the place got lonely so it was happier when people were around but if you wanted that kind of touchy-feely level of detail you needed to talk to Steven.

[my_own_advocate]

"Only if you have something a touch more upscale than that," Lucifer said. (Though, he supposed, at least what Duke had grabbed wasn't too alcoholic.)

[betterthanaplan]

". . . Huh." Duke bobbled his head. "I mean, I wouldn't live there. But more power to those of you who will."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. "Microbrew? Or are you hoping for, like, a cocktail? I can probably get the kitchen to set you up with either."

[hasaknightjob]

"It's actually not bad," Marc said. "The security is great. Don't have to worry about anybody messing around with my weapons or other shit if I don't want."

He meant Watts and Steven. Especially Steven.