2021-05-19 - Pinball and Pizza

Fern didn't come to Pizza Kitchen for the pizza - even if the pizza was decent. Her main reason was to play one of the pinball machines and try to beat whatever high score was up there that week. She had claimed one of the tables next to the machine - a large to go cup of Coke and untouched personal pan pizza currently sat on said table. She was laser focused on the machine, brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to keep up with where the pinball was. Fern was clad in a pair of dark jeans with a blue a-line shirt that exposed her shoulders.

Coming off filling in again at the station house, Devlin comes into the Pizza Kitchen. He's clearly freshly showed as his hair hints at a shower within the last 20 minutes perhaps? He's casual today wearing a t-shirt that proclaims ' Combat Medics never stand taller than when they kneel to treat their wounded brothers' and an image of a medic doing just that over the words. He carries a gym bag that for a guess holds his work clothes perhaps. Various patches from Jump Wings to various unit patches adorn the bag. He takes a look around and seeing someone is playing on a pinball machine, he smiles and steps over in that direction to see the play from a polite distance.

Fern heard the little ding announcing a new arrival to the Kitchen, but she doesn't look over just yet. Instead she keeps it up for a few minutes longer until she isn't quite fast enough and the ball goes sailing place the flippers. "Damn it." She sighed, but laughed - not really seeming that upset. She turns to reach for her Coke and spots Devlin watching. "Oh! Hello there. Did you want a turn?" She takes a sip of the soda and peers at him a moment. "I like your shirt...you look familiar." Well of course he did. She's been back for 5 years, surely she's seen him around in general. "....Were you at Pourhouse the other day?" The day where the weird giant men with axes and chainsaws appeared.

Devlin nods, "Yes, I was there with the weird stuff happening. Still want my Rod Serling autograph.. " he shrugs, "Don't see it happening though. No thanks on the a play. I should get something to eat. Missed dinner and worked the late shift. Darwin was so busy that I couldn't get more than a stale donut and coffee.. and the desk sergeant next door almost fought me for the donut." He smiles a bit as his stomach growls loudly. "Better order something before my belly introduces itself to my spine."

"Probably not." Fern agreed about not getting an autograph. She leaned lightly against the pinball machine once he declined the offer to play. "Sounds like a long day. And night? What do you do?" There were only a few options in this town with those kind of hours that Fern could think of, but she didn't like to assume. A little motion of her hand towards the counter. "Of course! Don't let me stop ya. Food is definitely important." Speaking of, she looked towards her own pizza. "I should probably get to eating my own. Cold pizza isn't my favorite." She laughed.

"Okay, I'm coming. I'm just grabbing some food and it should be ready now because I ordered it like 15 minutes ago." Cassidy tells her phone quite forcefully before tossing it into her bag.

The bulldozing blond heads directly to the counter. No one's there. She starts talking anyway, "Hi. Hellloooo. I ordered ahead. Cassidy."

"Cold beer and pizza.. isn't that a college staple food." Devlin chuckles a bit as he goes to the counter. Already the person at the counter has been getting his slices ready as he tends to order the same. Seeing Cassidy bull past, he just gracefully sidesteps to avoid her and follow up in line. "Hi Counselor. Sounds like your in a rush."

Devlin then adds, "Paramedic" answering Fern's question

"It's the perfect college staple." Fern agreed with a grin. "Though it's just pizza and soda for me these days." She set her soda down and tore off a slice of her person pan. "But as a rule of thumb you can never go wrong with beer and pizza." Unless the pizza just becomes a vehicle to absorb more beer and then you're probably going down the wrong road.

She blinks as Cassidy comes barreling in. Certainly she remembers her. Covering for their seemingly random burst into the kitchen with the quesadilla commentary. "Hello again." She flashes a brief smile to the passing woman and then nods to Devlin. "Paramedic is a tough job! But a good one I'd think. I'm currently a yoga teacher."

Cassidy looks irritated when she looks up from her phone toward the voice that said something to her. But that scowl softens to a warm smile and a waggle of her fingers, "Hey Dev. You know how it is."

Then she looks at Fern for a moment. Nope. Face doesn't ring any bells. "Do I know you?"

Devlin smiles to Cassidy, "Glad I am not a target of your ire. Hope no one has messed up your cases," he teases Cassidy a little. He then looks to Fern, "I practice Yoga also. Compliments my training in Kung Fu and Tai Chi." He then adds, "She was there when the kitchen was the exit."

Fern looks vaguely amused. "We met briefly at Pourhouse the other night. " She doesn't elaborate other than that though. She knows how it is - some people get it, some people don't. Some people get it but don't want to accept it. Fern's been through all the phases. And then Devlin provides that extra detail anyway but Fern doesn't mind!

"Yeah? You should come to one of my classes some time. First one's free you know." She chuckled. "I typically teach at Dance Revolution. Or if it's nice out, in the park."

"Kitchen was an exit?" Cassidy looks confused at Devlin. Then Fern speaks and Cassidy shakes her head, "No. If we met, I'd remember it." She taps her temple. "Nothing gets out."

The arrival of a paper bag with Cassidy's name on it gives momentary pause to the conversation. She takes the bag and instead of taking it out she grabs a seat at a table. "Oh, Dev! Do you mean the Pourhouse? I didn't see you there. Were you waiting for quesadillas too?" She turns in her chair to face Fern, "You must've been there too. It took these guys so long to get the food out. You could feel this riotous tension in the air. I had to go back there and tell them to hurry up because everyone was complaining but no one was doing anything about it."

Devlin hmms, "Yes, I was over at a booth with a few interesting characters...and waiting on food. Service was definitely impacted that night."

Fern looked a touch sympathetic but the look faded with a bite of pizza. Denial. She just nodded, swallowing. Easier to just go along with it all than try to explain it. "Yeah, exactly. Hard to forget - they really need to hire a new cook or something. It didn't even seem that busy." She mused. "Maybe he was just having an off night or something. Though I hadn't been there in a few years so what do I know."

Cassidy nods in agreement while she chews. "Definitely. Get rid of that cook if he can't handle it." She swallows, "Maybe we could get Gordon Ramsey to do one of those restaurant make-overs on the place."

Devlin gets his order and a soda. "Depends on the Pourhouse, if they want to go there." He moves to take a seat at a nearby table with his PhD slices. "May be a part time cook for the rushes is all they need." He takes a few bites, "That hits the spot. Now, if we just could get a better budget for the department. Again, my application for Paramedic in Charge has been delayed over the budget."

Stopping before the Pizza Kitchen in the Foggy Mall, heading across the property rather than into it, Everett pauses. Looking around suspiciously, he slips the backpack off his left shoulder while kneeling down to set the backpack on the ground and uses his left hand to unzip the main zipper awkwardly in small jerks rather than untuck his right hand from his Todd Snyder sweatshirt. Perhaps the reason for his being dubious is the crumbled red and white cigarette pack he pulls out from the backpack and shakes until the butt of a cigarette appears and he feeds it to his lips.

Returning the cigarette pack inside his backpack, he fetches a crome zippo from inside. Turning on the balls of his feet to shield the flame with his broad shoulders, Everett flicks the zippo open, lights the fire, and kisses it to the cigarette. A moment later, puffs of white smoke. The lighter is replaced into the backpack and the awkward unzipping is just as awkward when he zips the backpack up one-handed. Before he stands, Everett scratches his bare thigh, then takes the cancer stick from his lips and looks around again while he enjoys the promise Joe the Camel told him about flavor country, while glancing into the city.

"If you can't handle the heat. Get out of the kitchen." Fern laughed at her own joke. "I'd die if Gordon Ramsey showed up in town. It'd be pretty a riot." She finished off another slice of pizza. She doesn't know anything about the politics of budgets so she doesn't quite get into that aside from, "I hope they approve a better one soon." And a smile.

She towards the glass door, spotting Everett, whom she probably vaguely recognized from stops at the ice cream shop on the boardwalk. Then she took another sip of soda before standing to try her hand at the pinball machine again.

Cassidy collapses her bag and disposable plate all together in one deft and noisy crunch. "Well. See you around." She hastily slides out of her chair and is gone. Doesn't wait for feedback. Just out. Without stopping, she tosses the trash in a can near the door.

Devlin nods to Fern, "And now.. a dose of reality. Was a hell of a fight. Something you learn Fern.. not every body shines.. thus remembers." He continues to eat and then adds, "Just one of those things you have to be flexible for. Like ham presser over there.." He cocks his head towards Everett.

Taking another long drag from his cigarette, Everett pulls it from his lips while he continues to look around. When the door to the pizza parlor opens, the reason for his slow looking around becomes more evident as he instinctually and quickly hides his left hand behind his back while his green eyes shoot towards the open door. Not at all guilty. Not at all exhaling either.

That is until the gym clothes clad gorilla spots the ADA exiting and his head tilts back and be breathes a soft exhale of relief. His eyes focus inside the restaurant for a second, to see what other surprises there are waiting to burst out on him. His lips twitch with the smallest of smirks before returning to his resting thug face. As she walks by, Everett turns his attention on Cassidy's retreating figure and watches her go.
Whatever he's spooked of, these three aren't it, because he lifts the cigarette for another slow drag.

Fern laughed at that. "I've been shining for well over a decade, so I definitely understand that." She said to Devlin with a smile once Cass was gone. "I feel bad for people who either don't remember or actively choose to remain ignorant." She makes a thoughtful noise. "It was a hell of a fight and I'm not really a fighter...at least not...a normal fighter." She said a touch sheepishly.

Her brow rose as he indicated Everett. "Ham presser?" Looking back to Devlin. "Dare I even ask?"

Devlin says, "Not that I'd suggest. " he chuckles, "But yes. I did do ok to hold the line as they say. For some reason when it comes to the Veil, the big bad dudes love to attack the medic. You'd swear I have a price on my head again or something." He finishes off his slices. "Some days I think I would be safer back in Iraq or Afghanistan.."

With another glance around, Everett takes a look up at the overcast sky. The cigarette fixed between his lips, he reaches back with his left hand to pull the hood of his hoodie up and over his head without care of his long black hair dangling on either side of his head. Picking up his backpack, it's slung over his left shoulder again before the cigarette is taken from his mouth and Everett resumes his march, finishing cutting across the property and to points unknown. Probably some swine somewhere. Need a good hefting.

"Fair." Fern chuckled, having apparently abandoned starting her second attempt in favor of finishing her pizza while she talked with Devlin. "I hadn't been subjected to one in a while, but I've a feeling that was just the tip of the ice berg. But yeah you and a couple of the others there were impressive." She mused and shook her head. "Hard to say. I traveled all over the country and never really got left alone. It wasn't as bad as being here at the epicenter of course. But as they say, no rest of the wicked. Or those that shine." Fern flashed another grin. "I should get going. But it was nice talking to you. My name is Fern by the way."

Devlin sips on his soda, "A lot going on that I don't understand. So most times playing it by ear. So Yoga.." he hmms, "Been a while since I have gone to a studio. I'd like to think that I don't need correction. But not like I can watch myself." He chuckles a bit, "You'd be amazed at all the cross over between the three."

"Very true! It's far easier to do yoga wrong than right." Fern mused. She stood up and borrowed an order slip and pen from the counter, scrawling out a few days, times, and her phone number. The paper is handed to Devlin. "Here you go! These are my upcoming sessions and my number. Just give me a call if you want to come to one. Or feel free to just drop in. I'd be happy to give you some tips and stuff after having a chance to watch you." She assured. "I need to run now though. I hope I hear from you soon!" She said before gathering up her soda cup and trash and heading out.

Devlin says, "Have a good one and perhaps not a bad idea for me to arrange something to visit."