Luke's, Thursday

[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?]

Comments

[okteiviakom]

Octavia had spent a considerable chunk of her morning either in or in the direct vicinity of the preserve. It had been quiet.

The diner, when she showed up around lunchtime, was not.

"... Right."

[betterthanaplan]

"Don't ask," Duke said with a roll of his eyes. "I've given up trying to control those guys. The fish is good, though."

[okteiviakom]

Octavia continued to look a little dubious. Not about the fish, though.

"I think I'll just take something to go?"

[betterthanaplan]

“Not so much a fan of the techno?” Duke asked, not at all surprised.

[okteiviakom]

"Not really," Octavia deadpanned, fully aware how little surprise was involved in that. "They didn't have it in the woods."

But at least she took a few more steps away from the door and into the diner?

[betterthanaplan]

“I’m shocked,” Duke said with a grin. “We can always hide upstairs if you want, it’ll be a little less . . . pounding bass there?”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia considered that for a second.

"Okay, that could work."

What, she was only human, and the other choice would have been to drag him out for a walk.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke would be happy to do that after they got some food.

"I'll grab the food from the kitchen then. You want a strawberry milkshake, too?"

[okteiviakom]

"Sure," Octavia said, because again: only human.

Then she glanced towards wherever the music seemed to be coming from. "I'll... head up?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Good call." Duke wrinkled his nose at the absolute ridiculousness that was currently playing on the speakers. (Something about a "cocojambo", whatever that was?) "I'll be right behind you."

He leaned in to steal a kiss real quick first, of course. The two of them engaging in PDA in the diner was practically tradition.

[okteiviakom]

And a tradition they probably hadn't been observing enough, lately, at that.

Octavia leaned up into it to make it even less about stealing than it already had been. She also patted his arm as she pulled back. "More where that came from, upstairs," she joked, with her typical rasp.

Then she turned to head up.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke chuckled and took a moment to watch her go, before darting into the kitchen to get their food and drinks.

And maybe threaten his staff a little bit if they didn't turn the music down. They knew he wasn't actually going to do anything to them, but it was important to keep up appearances.

[okteiviakom]

Meanwhile, Octavia made her way upstairs, and took a little look around.

She couldn't even remember how long it had been since she'd actually been there last.

[betterthanaplan]

It’d been awhile. Even Duke sometimes forgot what was up there.

He didn’t take long to come up and join her though, a tray full of lunch balanced expertly on his hand.

“Soup’s on!”

[okteiviakom]

"That's what the special was?" Octavia replied, turning to face him. She hadn't actually read the board, and even if she had, well...

[betterthanaplan]

“It’s not. Just an expression.” He brought the tray over and set it on the table. “Baked fish in a mustard sauce. No soup to be seen.”

[okteiviakom]

"Okay, well it's a new saying for me," Octavia replied easily, crowding him a little as she leaned over to look at the tray. "I hear soup, I think soup."

It was one of the very few simple things about her.

"But this looks good."

[betterthanaplan]

"New can be fun," Duke said idly, pressing a kiss to her head before serving the fish and milkshakes out. "This is a German recipe. Their food isn't usually my favorite, but it's hard to go wrong with mustard."

[okteiviakom]

"I'll take your word for it," Octavia replied, faintly teasing, as she moved to take a seat. "For like the next minute or two, anyway."

Since it would be about that long until she'd be able to verify for herself.

[betterthanaplan]

"Well, I hope you enjoy. If not . . . I'll brave the techno downstairs to get you some fries and a sandwich."

[okteiviakom]

"And that's why I love you," Octavia quipped, reaching for her plate. "Anyway... how has your day been? Apart from the noise."

[betterthanaplan]

“Noted,” Duke said cheerfully. “Not too bad. Some of the noise is actually kind of fun. I forgot how nice Robert Miles is.”

[okteiviakom]

Octavia gave him a wry look. "I don't know who that is."

Unsurprising.

"But... good?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Techno guy," Duke said. "Hence the context. I'll play some for you sometime. On my phone, I definitely won't be able to do it justice on guitar."

[okteiviakom]

"Maybe we should listen to more music together anyway," Octavia replied, with one of her vague half-shrugs. She picked up her fork, then cast a significant glance off to the side "You know, that we actually picked."