2021-11-29 - Slice - Of Life

It is a quiet Sunday Evening at the Pizza Kitchen. It seems that a couple of on duty Paramedics are finishing up dinner when Devlin comes in. Greetings are exchanged between the paramedics followed by a few duty related comments. As the two paramedics depart, Devlin smiles, "Have a quiet evening. Thanks for the update." He then turns to walk over to the counter to place an order.

It does seem that casual is the rule of the day for how Devlin is dressed. He's wearing his usual black leather jacket and it seems another Combat Medic Tee-shirt. For the moment he ponders the board before ordering something for himself and a beer. He then takes his beer to head off to a table.

Gabriella is wandering the town on her first day. So, of course, she scores to find a pizza place. There she is speaking to her phone. "So then this is the local pizza place. I mean it's.. Sami, give Tiana back her toy. I.. where is your mother?" A flurry of toddler fighting happens on the other side of the phone before she's hung up on. A shake of her blonde tresses before she laughs a bit. "There we go, my daily birth control." This is said more to herself than others. She does slow a bit to look over the paramedics and offer a vibrant smile towards them.

She's wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The shirt has a drawing of small critter and the words: Hedgehogs - why can't they just share the hedge? How small she is and how she's dressed there isn't a surprise is she's assumed younger. Those green eyes slide over the others. Consider. Consider. Target acquired.

This draws her over to Devlin's side with a sort of step slide. "What pizza are you buying us?" She looks over the options. "That one with the tomatoes and garlic looks good. Or are you a meat eater? Do you enjoy a lot of meat in your mouth?" Then her hand comes out. "Gabriella." The most angelic smile ever. "Your new pizza companion."

The tak-tak-tak of stiletto heels announces Perdita's arrival before the young woman comes into view. Her long dark hair is pulled up into pigtails, excepting her fringe, and the audacious yellow faux fur coat ensures everyone will see her coming. It's currently dropped to hang in the crooks of her elbows, revealing the matching bandage dress beneath, a black bag hanging from one manicured hand, and black stilettos finishing off the look. Her make up is over the top, too, with winged liner sharp enough to wield in battle and a pair of false lashes on. Someone is either feeling herself... or really not feeling herself and trying to get back in her groove. She pauses behind Devlin and Gabriella, looking amused.

Ok, that catches Devlin a little off guard as he takes the offered hand to shake, "Oh.. Hi Gabriella, Devlin." Easyt to catch the pause as he tries to figure out, Do I know her? A moment passes, and he adds in, "Did we meet somewhere before? And I tend to be the educated pizza type."

Gabriella pouts so adorably up at Devlin. "You don't remember? You offered to buy me pizza. You said to swing by here and you should be here." Her eyes slide across his shirt and then to the other EMT types. "You said you might be with some buddies you work with. I mean..." She steps back and looks so sad. Her face turned to the side (where Perdita is) as she sighs. "That's okay. I mean. I'm not upset, just a bit disappointed."

Her eyes are glittering with humor and her lips are twitching when she's not in his frame of sight. Her eyes catch Perdita's shoes and slowly track up her frame to her face. There is an impressed look as she does. "Hi. I'm Gabriella." Pause. Then her smile turns back to a frown.

One eyebrow raises ever so slightly as Perdita regards the woman in front of her, and she smirks, glancing from Devlin to Gabriella and back. She doesn't start laughing, though judging from how bright her dark eyes look at the moment, it's taking considerable effort not to.

"Oh, you're good." she murmurs to Gabriella, with a smile. "Hi, Gabriella, I'm Perdita, and this is our resident town hero, Devlin. I don't think you've met."

That gets an eyebrow raise from Devlin, "Not sure I'd come close to qualifying for that. Better men and women for that title than me. New in town?" He asks of Gabriella. To Dita, "Hi there Perdita. Thanks for clearing that up." The pair of paramedics on the way out just laugh, their words taken as the door closes. Devlin mouths to them, "Gee thanks". As to Grabriella, "If your wondering what an educated pizza happens to be.. you might find out." He smiles over his beer.

Gabriella glances up at Devlin as she bounces on her toes. "Oh! I am very interested in what our pizza happens to be." She then looks around a bit and hmms. "Now, is the beer included in our pizza meal?" A hopeful look before she smiles at Perdita. "He's a hero? I suppose not all heroes wear capes. Do tell me about this hero business." She moves a bit closer to Devlin to smile up at him. She's waiting for the answer to the beer question. "Returned. I was born here. I traveled a lot. California last.." Wait a minute. There is a lowering of her blonde brows as if she's trying to figure out how she might know him. That thing in the back of the mind. "Oh! I think Perdita will be sitting with us too. Should we find us a table?"

The door to the pizza kitchen's shouldered open by a sturdily built Mexican in a baseball cap, battered leather jacket and jeans. The jacket's open to reveal a tee shirt that says, Cómo Se Llama, with a picture of a puzzled looking llama. The Mexican himself has his nose stuck in his phone, and barely manages to swerve around someone on his way up to place his order.

"Any time, Devlin." Perdita tilts her head to one side, pigtails swinging as she does, before she places an order for a cola and a Neapolitan pizza, paying for her order, smiling as Gabriella continues to try and flirt her way into free pizza.

"Not all heroes wear capes, but wouldn't he look good in one of those superhero costumes?" Dita asks Gabriella, quirking both eyebrows playfully. Either she's flirting with Devlin, she's playing wingwoman for him, or she's playing wingwoman for Gabriella, it's hard to tell.

"¿Qué pasa, Ruiz?" she asks the man, moving to fill up her drink with that easy grace she somehow manages despite balancing red bottomed stilts.

There is a slight sigh on Devlin's part, "Educated pizzas have a PHD. Piled Higher and Deeper." He shrugs, "Well sharing beats taking leftovers home." Seems acceptance is the way to go here. "Beer tends to go well with pizza. Go a head and order one.. table.. ok." He takes a slight breath, "You were in California then.. interesting. A few years there? Every been to LA?"

Gabriella gives a happy squeal as Devlin gives in. She will attempt to throw her arms around him. "Thank you. You really /are/ a hero." Then she looks over the area to find a seat. Her eyes do move towards Perdita's pizza too. "You look very fancy." A tip of her head as she looks over the red soled shoes. Perhaps a moment of envy.

"Really, you are super gorgeous. Are you going to sit with us? As I said, I'm new, so new friends are amazing. Maybe you can introduce me around." Gabriella looks up at Ruiz when he enters and he gets a smile as well. "Salutations." There is a tip of her head to study him and then she offers, "I adore your shirt." Her eyes slide back to Devlin. "I have. My mom and step-father live there."

"Hola, cómo estás," murmurs the cop with a flickered smile to Perdita. Or as close to a smile as a face like his allows. He shoves his phone into a pocket of his jeans, digs out his wallet, and orders something off the menu without making eye contact with the girl behind the counter. Much to her chagrin. Then someone he doesn't recognise is talking to him. Someone blonde, and something about salutations? He squints at her like she's lost her mind. "Thanks," is offered gruffly after a moment, and Devlin's given a little upnod of greeting once he spots him.

And then there's another blonde. Well, a blond, and this one's a lot more shopworn, and sporting nearly as much ink as the cop. Joe's in a navy peacoat, jeans nearly as dark, and a black watchcap with a monochrome patch on the front brim showing an astronaut behind a cartoonishly big minigun, with the legend 'Space Shuttle Door Gunner' beneath it. Though the last he peels off nearly as soon as he's through the door, leaving his curls in disarray, as he saunters up towards Ruiz with that dazzling grin on. "Whatcha gettin' us?" he wonders of the younger man, before noting other familiar faces. Dev gets a wave, as does Perdita.

"I'll join you while the pizza's baking, at least, but I've got a hungry kitty waiting at home and a friend who could use the carbs." Dita crosses to join the pair with a little tak-tak-tak that announces her movements. Even for Perdita Leontes, this is a bit of an out there look. So much yellow. "Thank you, I love your look, too." she tells the other woman, with a warm smile. No cattiness, no attempt to mean girl. Just women supporting women in this town, dangit.

She doesn't give Ruiz a sympathetic look as she sits. He wouldn't appreciate being treated any differently, or acknowledging what's going on, Dita suspects. "Business as usual, you know? I've been working my well toned ass off trying to get the Bauer building cleaned up." Dita slides in across from Gabriella, crossing her long, mostly bare legs, before she scoots into the booth with that ridiculous bright yellow faux fur coat still on. Joe gets a finger-wiggling wave and a warm smile.

Devlin takes a seat after taking a moment to get a second beer that he offers to Gabriella. "This tends to be a good beer with pizza. Hope you like it."

"So working?" he hmmms to Dita, "Hard? Really?" his tone conveying a bit of a tease there. Followed by a quick greeting to the new comer, "Hey Joe. Getting Ruiz into trouble again?"

"Well Garbriella, I've never been a hero.. just Doc to many. I get the feeling you recognize me for some reason, why would that be?"

Gabriella makes sure that Devlin is situated right by her. A person never leaves her target unattended, it's just bad hunting standards. Agreed to buy her the thing? Check. Upped it with another thing? Check. Employed? Check. Said doc? Check, but that will lead to disappointment later. Not too old to be a daddy issue, but old enough to be 'daddy'? Check. So on that, Gabriella smiles towards him. "I'm sure that whatever you brought me is perfect. I just can't wait to taste what you are offering." There might be a flutter of lashes here. Maybe.

"I have a yellow car." This random statement is given to Perdita. "I mean it's more like a mellow yellow and it's a convertible." While dashing hopes when one finds out she means VW bug. Then her lips curve upwards. "Thank you. I really like casual most the time. Oh! Do you have a phone? I'll put my number in it." Then a smile towards Ruiz and then to Joe again. "Are you joining us as well?"

Then back to the hero of the hour. She takes on something akin to sweetness that would make one get cavaties when she moves next to Devlin more. "Oh. I am sure I heard something about someone in politics. Accusations." There is a pout. So heartbreaking. "I'm sure you were set up though, yes? So you are a doctor?"

It'd be a feat to manage as much ink as de la Vega does. Most of it's under wraps at the moment, of course, though his right hand's covered in it -- visible when he goes to pay for his order -- and more at his collarbone, neck and shoulder, playing peekaboo under his tee shirt.

"Already got you something," he tells the arriving Joe, knuckles to the taller man's shoulder as he pushes off the counter and starts ambling toward the table occupied by the trio. He moves like an old wolf with half an eye out for younger, meaner predators; there's that sense he might bite, if given enough provocation. But in reality he's probably too tired for it.

Then he settles in next to Perdita, bringing with him a scent of clove smoke, leather and cordite. And a little crook of his finger for Joe to come join him. "Administrative leave," he corrects Gabriella blandly. "And it was voluntary. Not him. Me."

"He was an Army medic," Joe answers for Devlin, blithely. "Nearly always called 'Doc' by their comrades." A grin at the man himself. "Always. Been doin' that for decades." More true than Devlin realizes, perhaps, for that affair was illegal for years upon years. There's that faintly wicked look given to the cop himself, at that touch to his shoulder, and then he's trailing after, limping faintly.

"'Looks like it," he tells Gabriella, even as he offers her an inked hand and that crooked grin. "I'm Joe. Pleased'a meetcha, ma'am." Perdita gets an affable, "Hey, you, been a while."

"Es como mirarme a un universo espejo." Perdita mutters to herself, and, well, Ruiz. She scoots in so he can have space, her nose wrinkling ever so delicately as the smell of smoke reaches her, but she smiles, all the same. "It's been a bit, yeah... Fireside chats with Baba, I think?" a slight shrug and a smile as she continues watching Gabriella make the moves on Devlin. It's clear, from her expression, that she might have been doing the same a few years back.

"Mine's cherry red." she tells the other woman with a smile. She hands over an iPhone in a bubble gum pink case, open to the contacts, glancing at Devlin with a smirk as the girl puts in her number. 'Need help?' is mouthed to the man once she's sure Gabriella is distracted with the shiny phone.

Devlin smirks slightly with Dit'a offer and shrugs. He then updates Gabriella a bit more, "I was a medic with the Eighty Second Airborne. I am still a Combat Medic with a dustoff team in the National Guard these days. Here in Gray Harbor, I'm a paramedic. So not a doctor in the classical sense.. but I'm that guy that will get you to the ER on your worst day as you fear loosing your life."

Did the tiny blonde look slightly less enthralled at 'not a doctor'? Surely not. That would be superficial. "Administrative leave?" There is a tilt of her head to that before she hmms softly and then offers. "Well if you are on leave, you said it was voluntary? How are you feeling about the change? Such things can have lasting affects that we do not realize until we have internalized it too much and the damage is done. Are you sleeping well after this or, perhaps you would like to meet up later to talk about it? Do you find yourself still enjoying your hobbies? Your sex life?" Yeah, she asked that last one like how is the weather. Her eyes are also very focused and she's speaking like an intelligent person.

Gabriella's attention shifts over towards Joe for a few moments when he is presented to the table. A shark might know a shark. She's looking him over for all those signs of not the ideal childhood. She's looking him over for if he's a target to roll or to convince to her side. A slight inclination of her head as her hand is offered. "It is always a pleasure to meet me. I really don't blame you. Why, I take me every where I go." Her lips curve up with the cutest little dimples when she does.

Then there is a phone in her hands and she's typing in her number. Standard ten numbers and then she pulls the phone away and upwards for a good 'angle'. A soft click can be heard as she's taking her picture with her a wink and her tongue out slightly in the corner of her mouth. The phone is pulled back in as she types in her name: Gabriella Leigh. Then she hands it back over towards Perdita. "I have a feeling yours is probably far more glamorous than mine, but mine moves from point a to point b without a car payement." There seems to be a recognition to her eyes at the language being spoken, but if she does, she doesn't comment back in it.

Then her new mark--erm friend. "Oh! That sounds so brave." Does she sound like her IQ just went down a few points? She just might. Her lips curve up as she attempts to put her hand on Devlin's arm. A wide-eyed expression. "It sounds so /dangerous/. You will have to tell me all the stories you have. Perhaps you can buy me coffee tomorrow morning and tell me about them?" She leans in a bit more. "You do drink coffee right? I would be so interested in learning all about you."

Devlin's pizza is brought over to the table. It is a clear case of a kitchen sink style with extra cheese however, no fish.. no fruit.

If Javier had more social graces than whatever he'd managed to scrape off the bottom of his boot this morning, he'd probably have introduced himself as well. But, it turns out, he doesn't. So he digs out his phone, slouches into the booth, and scans his Friendzone feed while Joe chitchats with the unfamiliar blonde. "Golpea un poco demasiado cerca de casa, eh?" he murmurs to Perdita with a rusty chuckle, and a flick of dark eyes toward the younger woman.

Then a double-take when Gabriella speaks, inked thumb hovered over his phone's screen like he's plum forgotten what he was going to do. "Are you for fucking real?" he asks instead, squinting at her.

"Certified bad-ass," Joe notes, sunnily. He's all affable good nature, the lines around his eyes deepening....but there's a glint in the blue eyes far keener than the whole "good ol' boy" act would indicate. His hand's callused and worn, inked across the knuckles in shades of ocean blue: HOLD. "Yeah?" he wonders, amused. "Me, I do find a certain pleasure in losing myself, now and again." Then Javier's piping up, "And that's Javier de la Vega," he adds, fondly. Not bothering to hide his amusement as he settles down close by Ruiz.

And of course, Devlin still suffers from Doc's curse... someone screams in pain, the kind of scream that makes you realize life can be short comes from the kitchen.. que newbie cook in the kitchen managing to discover cleaning hot oil using short cuts is dangerous...painful.. and quite injurious.. half eaten slice of pie and three-quarters of his beer are abandoned as he just goes from zero to sixty in under a half second dashing to the kitchen. Looks like once again.. Doc does not get a night off yet again.

"Un poquito... pero yo estoy mejor." Perdita cocks a brow at Ruiz, perhaps just a hint of playfully flirtatious challenge there. She has no intention of following up on it, and clearly expects Ruiz not to, either, though. She wraps her painted lips around her straw, taking a deep drink of her soda... and then there's someone doing a Wilhelm scream, and Perdita's suddenly looking up toward the kitchen in... genuine fear. She knows that sound, all to well, it seems, and judging from the raw panic that slips past her pleasant mask, she knows it well...

But then Devlin's rushing off to help whoever screamed, and the young woman takes a deep breath in through the nose, out through the mouth, dark eyes flitting over the room with purpose. Another deep breath in... and out. "I... hope... he's okay." she manages at last, her voice only slightly quivery, though she still looks a bit like deer too afraid to move.

"Of course, I'm fucking serious. Mental health is not a joking manner. It has a lasting affect on people and an effect on those things around them. It can cause a whole mixture of changing feelings and signs. A lot of people miss them. They think it is something else. In men... especially those on the masculine side; depression can show in anger and agression." Gabriella offers towards the man on 'administrative leave'

Then her eyes slide back towards Joe. "Well I.." All the words leave her as she hears the scream. There is no fear in her eyes, but she turns to look at the others. There is a look of concern in her eyes as she waits to hear if there is any more panic. Then she reaches out to take Devlin's beer as well to start drinking it as she helps herself to some of the pizza.

Well, he may be in a committed relationship, but he isn't made of stone. Perdita drinking from her straw like that draws a lingering look from Javier, before he returns to his phone. And a murmur of, "Así que tú dices," with a tinge of the same flirtatiousness in his rough scrawl. Dark eyes tick up to Joe on the tail end of it, and he winks. Then whatever he was going to answer Gabriella with is -- probably fortunately -- interrupted by that scream. He looks to Devlin, then toward the kitchen. And, well. One bonus to being on administrative leave?

Whatever's going on back there is categorically not his problem right now. Oh, look. Their food's arrived.

There's that gleam of amusement in Joe's face, still, as he watches the byplay between Javier and the women. One corner of his mouth quirks up at the wink, and he tips his head, as if in silent reply. The scream has him turning to peer that way, but Devlin's on it, and he relaxes. "He's got 'im," he reassures Perdita. "No one better. And if he needs an ambulance, it'll be taken care of."

Only to lift a brow at Gabriella just helping herself to both beer and pizza. Too polite to comment aloud...and then their food's there. He shrugs out of his peacoat, sets it aside. He's only in a plain gray t-shirt underneath, one that hides neither the scars nor the ink on his arms. No self-consciousness of either.

Once the food arrives, Dita... Slips over Ruiz in a way that should honestly be considered impolite in public, giving up her seat for the two men. Whatever's going on in that pretty head of hers is enough to get her on the move again, unfortunately. Her phone back in her purse, red bottoms firmly on the floor of the restaurant, Dita gestures to her food with a smirk that looks only partially strained, "I've got a hungry man doing heavy lifting waiting for me. Have fun~" She tells them with a head tilt, which makes the pigtails bounce, just slightly. A finger wave with her free hand, a wink at Gabriella, and then she's hurrying out of the restaurant, just a little faster than she might otherwise. That scream spooked her, but she's doing her best to pretend it didn't. Of note, as she moves... the tak-tak-tak of her stilettos is absent, her footsteps almost silent despite her speed walk.

Gabriella watches Perdita leave with a wink back towards her and then she looks at the men that remain. Her lips curve up at Joe. "He ordered the food and drink for both of us. The beer is going to be skunked if he comes back to it warm. I'm saving him from himself right now. Really, I'm doing God's work. It's thankless but here I am." She smiles at the Ruiz not making commments back to her.

Javier's polite enough to look but not touch anything that passes him by at very close proximity. And suitably distracted for the few seconds it takes Perdita to extricate herself from the booth, by way of himself. He looks amused when all's said and done, and she's on her way out with her pigtails and her fingerwaving.

Then, clearing his throat, he sets his phone aside and reaches for a slice of pizza. "You actually buy all this bullshit you tell yourself, or is this just an act you put on," he gestures with the food. "To impress men who're thinking with their dicks rather than their heads?"

Joe concedes the point by raising his hands, palms out. Like he's surrendering. "Fair enough. Warm beer's always a shameful thing," he agrees. Then he's taking a mouthful of pizza, only to nearly choke at Javier's question. He doesn't scold him. Doesn't even give him a long-suffering look....but there's that certain wry lift to his brows. Like he's not really surprised by it.

Gabriella is super interested in the question that is volleyed to her. "Well I do have a masters in clinical psychology with an emphasis in behavior modification. So I do believe that I believe in the comments." Her lips curve upwards to that as she leans in. "Do you find it impressive? I feel like most people think with their dicks. I mean I don't have one, but I also don't ignore a pair of tight jeans walking past me. Why do you think it's bullshit?

Her smile moves towards Joe. "So what about you Joe? What is it that you are doing for work?" She puts her chin on the back of her hand as if she's completely entranced by him and this story.

Whatever his opinion on the bullshit he's called out, Javier's phone goes off at that precise moment, apparently saving him from answering. He flashes a quick, apologetic smile at the younger woman that comes off a bit wolfish, snags said phone, and climbs out of the booth before ambling off with it.

"De la Vega," he murmurs once the call's connected. "Mm. Right, I understand. Uh.. yeah, let me grab him." He hitches his chin to Joe, then indicates the door with a cut of his eyes before starting that way. It'll be up to the blond to deal with pleasantries, because he? Is leaving.