2022-01-04 - Pizza Place Proper

Everyone likes Pizza -right? Even if one is alone. Pizza is good wholesome, "I am not dead YAY!" food.

Thus is found Isi, sitting at a table that faces the doorway - no way is she going to let that be at her back any time soon kthanks, with a pizza WAY too large for someone her size and a pitcher of root beer. She's jumpy enough to react to anyone who comes through the doorway.

Alexander likes pizza. He slumps in, all oversized clothing and rumples. There's a quick, paranoid scan of the interior, which pauses briefly at Isi; she gets a nod of recognition and a faint smile. He does have some rather striking additions to his usual air of disrepute: namely, some bruises on his face that are riiiight in that stage of looking far more spectacular than they actually are, and his knuckles are wrapped. He heads over to order a calzone with double pepperoni and peppers, as well as a soda. While he waits for that to be delivered, he slinks over towards Isi's table, and says, "Hi."

"Jeez, cuz, what the fuck happened to you?" says Tor to Alexander as he emerges from the back room to spot Alexander. He's wearing a t-shirt that sports the Strange Harbor Brewing logo (a lighthouse with an all-seeing eye) with a plaid shirt over top. AKA Gray Harbor chic. He's even got a manbun going on. Okay, so it's a man ponytail. A man-tail? Anyway, his hair is back.

Isi draws a leg up against her chest and from behind the table and eyes Alexander. She opened her mouth to respond, except... a family member is saying it already?

"You have cousins?" Weidly. Not in her mental landscape of Alexander.

"Work," Alexander tells Tor, with a shrug. "Someone didn't like what I was investigating, so they kidnapped my pets." He looks from Tor to Isi. "I do. Don't most people?" There's a flicker of amusement at the question. "I have parents, too." Then he waves to Tor. "Tor Lockhart. Have you met Isi Cameron? She's irascible. But okay." Then he frowns at Tor, as a thought occurs. "Are you picking up a shift here, or just visiting?"

"Distantly related. We recently found out we've got some ancestors in common," but Tor has decided he's a cousin anyway. He's got a lot of those, many already tangentially related. Then, "Fuck, man. You don't mess with peoples' pets." Even the Lockhart thugs know that. "Someone need their jaw broke?" Yeah. He's not really going straight. Or maybe you can take the thug away from the pizza parlour...

"Visiting." He thumbs back towards the kitchen. "My uncle wanted me to give the new driver some tips. And no, I don't think so," he says after the introduction.

"Family doesn't seem like something you would... have. " Excuse Isi as she has to reframe 'Alexander' in her brain.

Except- "...irascible? What the fuck?"

Alexander scowls at Isi. "What? Why? I didn't grow from a fucking cabbage, you know." Maybe she's not the only irascible one. He gives an offended sort of snort, then says, "Want some company? I have a calzone coming." Tor's comment solicits a firm nod from Alexander. "Yes. Hurting and scaring animals is fucked up. We had a conversation about that. It's fine, now. No one's jaw needs to be broken." He glances back at the kitchen, then arches an eyebrow before nodding to the t-shirt. "How's the brewery going?"

"What? He totally seems like someone's eccentric but lovable uncle," says Tor. He reaches behind the counter into the spinning by-the-slice heater and steals himself a piece. Perks of the family-run business. He shrugs at Alexander's question and bites into the slice. "I keep finding beer I didn't realize I'd started brewing." He knows that's not what the other man meant, but he'll deflect anyway.

"You act like I imagine boiled cabbage would act." Isi shoots back. Just going to raise the grumpy with grumpy because why the fuck not.

Solace is found in the large pizza in front of her though, as she folds (gid, as all characters should eat it because fuck everyone who eats it differently - I'm looking at you Chicago!) the pizza and eats. "Are they okay? Luigi and Bluebell?"

Alexander narrows his eyes at Isi. "I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. Limp and bland? Stinky? I bathe, you know. It's not my fault you're irascible. And cranky. Why are you so fucking cranky?" Despite being delivered in a waspish tone, Alexander actually looks concerned. "Yeah, they're okay. Shaken. Luigi especially. They had him in a milk crate." Really, that's a jaw-breaking offense on its own. He cuts a thoughtful look towards Tor at the deflection, but allows it, just saying, "Normally, I'd assume you were joking, or just referring to the twelve weeks. But since it's Gray Harbor, I can't rule out beer fairies."

"Fuck, if you can summon some beer fairies, I'd put them to work. None of these assholes will come work for me," Tor thumbs behind him towards the pizza counter. "Carting kegs around is hard work. Hey, maybe I'll finally get some guns." And he doesn't mean the pew pew kind, because he has those.

"And hey, c'mon, that's not fair. He's at least a beef stew." What the hell does that mean? Who knows. "Jaw breaking's on the table man, I'm serious."

"Are you sure, because I was just sitting here and eating my fucking pizza and you start tossing around insults in front of strangers who are apparently your family." Aka, that's why she's cranky.

Insults are how she makes friends though, because she turns as quickly into something more genuine. "That sucks. It's bad when they go after you but..." Shiver.

Her eyes flick towards Tor, a slight eyebrow raised.

"I wasn't insulting you," Alexander protests. "It was an observation. A true observation," he adds, with a defiant sort of wave at the entire conversation. He's probably about to dig his hole a little deeper, when someone from the counter shouts his number and order up. With a remark of, "I can live with being a beef stew. That actually tastes pretty good," he turns and walks over to get his food.

Tor does a very good job of not laughing soundlessly until Alexander's back is turned. He shakes his head and stuffs the slice of pizza in his mouth. He catches a little sauce that dribbles down his chin. "Bless you, man. Never change, no matter what anyone says," he calls over his shoulder. "And like I said, distant family. We're probably like 12th cousins or some shit. Half the town can probably claim that."

"It's not a true observation if the other person doesn't fucking know what the word even means!" Isi tosses back against Alexander's back. Seriously. She is NOT going to drop this until said word gets defined.

"It's weird - he seems like such a loaner. To like - have family. Even distant - does he really have parents? Like, alive ones?" Isi, going to bump Tor for information about Alexander while said subject of conversation goes away to get food.

"Showing a tendency to be fucking easily angered," Alexander shouts back at Isi from his place at the counter. There's an outraged gasp from the parents of the family of kids just trying to eat their pizza in piece, while the kids look delighted as they say Mom, he said a bad word. Alexander immediately looks contrite, mumbling an apology towards the parents, who just sniff at him and remind their kids that they don't want to say those words, because if they do, they'll end up like that man.

And like most of the kitchen staff. Really, Pizza Kitchen might turn out gourmet wood-fired pizza, but it's owned and staffed by a bunch of criminals and the criminally-adjacent, and most of the town knows that. "He just said you can be a bit prickly," says Tor with food still in his mouth. "Which, I mean, we just met," he runs a thumb across his lip and then sucks the sauce off it, "...but it seems a pretty fair assessment."

As to Alexander's family? He shrugs. "He's actually pretty friendly. I mean, hell, he'll just talk to random people whether they want to talk or not. I don't know why people think he's a loner."

Isi will join the 'not family friendly' crew as she calls back, "You should fucking watch your MOUTH." Unlike Alexander though, she doesn't say sorry at the aghast family. She WILL wait till the kids have their back to her to flip off the parents though. (And this is how Isi was banned from the local Pizza joint.)

"Because he acts like a creeper when you first meet him? He was walking around as a fucking hobo when I first met him." She leaves out that she was tossing things at hobos. "And you don't fucking know me." For the whole observation of her personality.

Alexander returns, with his delicious, delicious food and just slides in across from Isi at her table, without even looking at her. Only once he's sat down does he say, quietly, "Watch your fucking language. There are kids here." He's not quite grinning even as the Good Upstanding Family clearly writes off the entire table as a bunch of degenerates. He looks over to Tor. "See? Isn't she irascible?"

"I dunno. He's just Alexander." And Tor's used to him enough to know he's harmless if very strange sometimes. He perches on the edge of one of the side tables like he owns the place, shovelling pizza into his mouth. If he's put off by the cursing or at all worried, he doesn't show it.

"There are fucking kids working in the back too. Do you think the cooks watch their language? Fuck no. We're a fucking family establishment." Chomp.

"Fuck you and fuck your cousin too." Isi replies firmly before plugging her mouth with pizza. Pizza is delicious and wonderful and worth pausing the swearing too.

"I don't hate you." That said around a bit of pizza at Tor.

"Alexander Clayton," Alexander agrees with Tor. "Who else would I be? Someone tried to be me, once, but I bashed that motherfucker's head in with a chair leg." He says this with a peculiar sort of serenity. He doesn't shove any food in his mouth, either. Instead, he gets a knife and a fork, and cuts his calzone into neat little bites, eating with a sort of mechanical delicacy. His eyes flick towards Isi. "You okay? I mean. Year starting off okay?"

Tonight, it seems, is a pizza night. Judging by the number of people who've shown up to grace this fine establishment, anyway. Another hungry person shoulders his way inside, hair and jacket damp with rain. Javier tugs his cell phone out of his jeans pocket to check a text message as he wanders up to the counter.

"Hey, if you like the pizza and want to keep comin' in here, you best suck up to me a little bit," says Tor, but it's clear he's not serious. "I practically grew up in this place." Which is why he just reaches behind the counter and helps himself to another slice from the warmer.

"Yeah you did, buddy," he says to Alexander re: bashing a doppelganger's head in. He looks up and watches Ruiz. "Shit, it's the fuzz," he deadpans, but rather loudly - loud enough to catch the attention of those in the back.

Isi grunts. "No one has pointed a gun at my head since before the previous year. One fucking day into the previous year..." Isi trails of and just presses down into herself just a little bit. Her pizza is big enough to hide her partially.

She watches Ruiz come up to the counter as she answers Tor, "I'll go find somewhere to find my pizza before I fucking suck up."

Alexander brightens as he sees Ruiz come in, and offers the man a quick little wave. Although the conversation between Tor and Isi draws him back. "She will," he warns Tor, with a smile. "I don't think she knows how to suck up." There's a teasing edge to the smile he throws Isi, before he obscures it with another bite of calzone. The not-so-subtle deadpan of Tor brings a snort of exasperated amusement.

Javier's just shoving his phone back into his pocket when he spots Tor sneaking a slice of pizza from the warmer. He grimaces a little at him and asks, "You have any idea how long those have been in there?" Then his wallet comes out. And no, he isn't sporting his badge and gun today, so he must be off duty. "Hola," is pitched toward Alexander with an awkward twitch of his mouth that might be a smile.

"Yeah, about twenty minutes. Jay just baked it. I saw him make it," Tor nods towards a teen who does bare a resemblance to him who comes out to take Ruiz's order. "We don't let it sit there for the customers." A beat, then, "That turns into staff meals." Pizza Kitchen may be run by borderline criminals, but it's also borderline hipster pizza with the wood-fired crust and fancy ingredients available alongside the classics. This is the Pacific Northwest, after all.

"Your loss if you don't want the best pizza in town," he says with a shrug to Isi's comment.

"If he doesn't then he's a fucking bad pizza parlor person." Isi says around her piece of pizza in her mouth. Clearly, not making much of an impression here. It's too much effort guys.

There's a bit of awkwardness before Isi adds, "Come sit with us? Or Alexander's going to chase all the families in the town with his fucking language."

She glances between Ruiz and Alexander. "Shouldn't you two have a problem with one another with you being outside the law and you being the fucking.... law?" It takes Isi to figure out the right word there at the end.

"Hola, Javier," Alexander says, quite cheerfully back at Javier. He looks between Isi and Ruiz, and arches an eyebrow. "I'm not outside the law. I follow the law! Most of the time," he adds, not quite under his breath, and rubs his bandaged knuckles against those bruises on his face. "And I don't think that's fair. I said one bad word - where they could hear it. You're cussing like a goddamned sailor." He looks to Tor. "Tell her."

The cop seems mollified enough by Tor's assertion that the food's not been there any longer than twenty minutes. Not that he has any intention of ordering from it, still. He slides a crumpled bill across the counter to pay for, "The one with mushrooms and pepperoni and, uh, feta. Goat cheese? Whatever the hell that is."

Then he squints a little at Isi when she suggests that he and Alexander might be at odds over the law. "Most of the time," he agrees tautly, scratching at his nose. Then he goes to collect his change, and wait.

"Goat cheese," Tor replies before the kid behind the counter has a chance to answer. "Feta with pepperoni is too goddamn salty. And upgrade him to the porcini mushrooms." That's not a request, it's a directive from Elder Pizza Boy to Pizza Boy the Younger.

He looks back to Alexander, brows raised, "What am I telling her, dude? That you're law-abiding?" He hand-wobbles, with the hand down by his hip.

".... says the guy with fucking bruises all over his face and a screwed up arm." Isi, replying at the same under-the-breath volume Alexander made that particular assertion in.

She points some attention at her pizza slice and it's gone in a few bites. The fact that she got a large pizza and is eating it by herself is NO ONE ELSES' business and if they mention it she's going to slap someone. Thus, the glare she delivers to all three of them upon finishing said slice.

"Actually - de la Vega I," and for once Isi fails to be pert and angry and falls silent, look pizza, and her face. They're gonna be friends.

Alexander looks at the three of them with a hurt expression. "I try to be law-abiding," he says, quietly. And looks down at his calzone and just eats in silence for a bit, his shoulders drooping like a hound dog's ears when it's yelled at.

The cop glances over at Alexander, then back at his phone. Then at Alexander again. Then Tor, whom he regards with suspicion when he's upgraded to some type of mushroom he's never heard of. "Is that legal?" he asks, seriously, after a beat.

Isi's invocation of his name drags his attention back to their table. He answers after a beat or two, once he's ensconced in his game of flappy bird again, "What's up?"

"Nothing to be ashamed of. Some rules are fucking stupid," says Tor. He knows better than to jostle Alexander, but the friendly shoulder-jostle is there in spirit. "And they get in the way of actually helping people and getting shit done. I think even some cops would admit that."

He dusts his hands off and snorts a bit at Ruiz. "Don't worry, you're not VIP enough to get the fun mushrooms on your pizza."

The way Isi's eyebrow ARCHES upwards at Tor's comment about rules being stupid hints that she STRONGLY agrees with that. But it drops again into a scowl at the 'even some cops'.

It's fine. She has conflicted feelings here.

"I was wondering if you had a place I could learn to shoot at." Going to say that real quick and without looking right at Ruiz.

"They're rules for a reason," Alexander mutters to Tor. "Sometimes you have to break them, in a specific place and time, but it's not...you shouldn't do it lightly. It's not a good thing to do it lightly." He's not looking up from his food, eating like he's been programmed to do it. He stops, for a moment, at Isi's question to Ruiz, but doesn't look up.

The look Tor gets from Javier, before he turns back to his game. Muttered, "Like fuck I'm not VIP enough." Because this probably isn't the place to mention that he, the police chief, is totally in Monaghan's pocket. And that that can change, y'know.

"There's a range in town that offers lessons," he replies to Isi, also without looking up at her. "Give you the number, if you like. The, uh, the precinct uses it too."

"Wait, so you do want hallucinogenic mushrooms on your pizza?" says Tor to Ruiz as he gestures with his crust. "HEY JAY, the police chief of Gray Harbor wants illegal drug mushrooms on his pizza."

"You need a place to shoot? I call it the back lot behind my aunt's place." But as has been established quite well, he's not exactly the model of law and order.

He hops down from his perch on the edge of the table. "You all have a good night. I better get the hell out of here before they put me to work."

PIZZA!

Gabriella doesn't even care what she's walking into. She has followed the siren cries of pizza that wafted from the entrance out. That's right. Just a sweet little angel face right here to scam... get some dinner or a snack. It's hard to tell with her. This t-shirt has a big picture of a hammer. Above that hammer are the words: This is not a drill.

Gabby enters and scans the area to see who is sitting where and more importantly who has wnat food and drink that is quick for the pilfering. Little known fact, stolen food always tastes better.

"I feel like I should ask something there..." Re, de la Vega and magic mushrooms. But she's not going to because there are SO MANY THINGS she does not want to know in this town. (She's learning this too late in life.)

"No, that seems like a fucking bad place - Alexander, you have fucking weird cousins." Isi, to Tor's retreating back with a small shake of her head. Back to Ruiz while pointedly not looking at Alexander. She's good at not looking at Alexander. "Do you have anyone you'd recommend by name rather than just some... random fucker?"

There's a surly Mexican guy in a rain-smattered leather jacket leaning against the counter, trying to play flappy bird on his phone while people talk to (and about) him. He kind of looks like the police chief. The departing Tor's given a dirty look when he yells that thing about the magic mushrooms, and someone from the back asks if he still wants the porcini. To which he answers, "Just the regular ones. No weird shit."

Finally, he looks up at Isi. And replies with a much put-upon sigh, "I'll think about it." Whatever that means.

Alexander rolls his eyes at Tor's offer to Ruiz, but says, "Don't die," to Tor. He finishes off his calzone and frowns at Isi. "Some of them are. But Lockhart's actually pretty okay. Don't be an asshole," he tells her, before sliding out of the booth and grabbing his trash, still looking somewhat downcast. He nods to Ruiz and Isi, and slinks away without another word. There's a brief smile for Gabriella as he passes her, but he doesn't speak before tossing his trash and heading out.

"I'm not the asshole in this conversation." Isi retorts back at Alexander but doesn't accuse anyone else of being one either. She's a fucking lady like that.

This is right about when Isi gets a box for the half of her uneaten large pizza. "Leftovers for lunch tomorrow," said as if she has to explain why she ordered the pizza only to take half of it home. It is reasonable okay? "You have my number." For Ruiz as she finishes putting the last of her pieces in and walks towards the doorway.

"You're.... the weird chick from the beach," and then with that parting shot at Gabby will just, y'know, out the door.

Gabriella gives a vibrant smile towards Alexander as he moves past her. She doesn't touch him, but her hand twitches like she thought about it. Then there is Isi who gets a moment of recognition. That being that now Gabby is not in all yellow and hitting on her. "The runner." This is offered to the most glorious Isi of all Isi-dom. Then there is a Mexican guy in a pizza place asking for no weird shit. Gabriella offers a smile as she slides over to him. "You are just in time to buy me pizza. Also some weird shit keeps life interesting." Her eyes slide over towards Tor, but it appears that everyone is on their way out. A loft of her brows towards Ruiz clearly reads: What did you do?

Pizza was in the air tonight, and it was about time another local swung through for his fill of no sweat bachelor grub. Benjamin Martin pushes through the door, looking down at his phone, likely answering a text or email. He seems oblivious, engrossed in whatever electronic conversation he always needed to upkeep as president/owner of his own construction company. He did seem to know just where to go, not even looking up as he walks directly towards the front counter. Only once he hits send does he look up to talk to whoever was on staff.

"Carryout for Martin."

He was still dressed crisply from work, a clean dress shirt, but his tie likely left in his truck. Good slacks and shoes are visible below.

"No," pops out almost before the words are fully out of Gabriella's mouth. "You can find someone else to mooch off of." Javier's wallet does not make a reappearance, and he keeps his eyes trained on Isi until she's out the door. Which swings back open to admit someone else, whom he only passingly recognises. And is evidently far too oblivious to bother greeting. Benjamin gets only a brief once-over, and then the cop's jamming his hands into his pockets to continue waiting for his order.

"Javi.. you shatter my heart. Shatter it. It's horrid. Look at those broken pieces. I shall never be one again. You have just ruined me." Gabriella tries to add an additional pout to that. HOwever, her eyes trail after Benjamin to give a different sort of smile. She will reach out to touch Javier's arm in a be right back sort of motion. "Benji.."

Drawn from his reverie he'd slipped into after announcing his order. Benjamin blinks as he hears his nickname. Seeing the blonde that used it, he breaks into his own smile, "Gabby." The tone was warm. He seems to rejoin sense and look around, noting the other man. Sure he may be only partially recognizable, but one of these men was in the paper repeatedly.

"Chief."

Gabriella moves over a bit closer to Mr. Benjamin Martin. Her green eyes slide to his blue eyes and she cocks her hip to lean against the counter as she studies him. "Sooooo... pizza? Pizza you are eating here and sharing with your favorite female person ever?"

Must be pizza night for the whole town. Now that Christmas and the New Year was over, Erin had a little time to get out more. She approaches the counter and leans a hip against it, "Order for Addington." The words are sort of clipped. As she's reassured it's almost out of the oven, she turns more to get a look around at the other patrons. A few other faces she recognizes, maybe. Her eyes skitter over both Gabby and Benjamin before she notices Ruiz. There's a courteous nod to the group of them nearby but she doesn't leave the counter area.

The cop doesn't look like he's buying that act, tonight. Amused, he checks his watch briefly like, what's the hold up? and cranes his neck to try to get a glimpse of whether his food's almost done. Then a look askance when Benjamin addresses him, and a curt nod. Followed up a moment later by, "Don't think we've met." The guy looks fancy, though, and he's surely not.

Erin walks in then, and joins their little group. She gets a slight smile from him, roughly as awkward as his tend to be.

Benjamin was grinning at Gabriella, “Definitely not eating it here. There’s a Seahawks game tonight.” He was about to add more to that when the Chief chimes in. “Benjamin Martin.” He offers a hand out to the Chief, “Martin Construction. Don’t think we actually have, but you’re pretty well known.”

And then Erin is there too. And Benji’s brain hangs for just a moment, picking up after a noticeable pause before his smile extends to her as well. “Erin!” He lets her pick the conversation option.

"Who's playing them?" Gabriella offers before she looks around to see if it's on a television here or anything. Her smile is a bit wider to this as if she's humored by it. "Is this your way of saying that you aren't into sharing your pizza? I feel like I shouldn't say it shatters me since I just did that one." She winks towards him. Then Javier is speaking. "You don't know Benji?" She shakes her head to that. "Well we should fix that. Benji, this is Javier, he does something Chief of Police. He also will sometimes buy a chai latte, but only once. So make your request thoughtout. I should have asked for lobster for Christmas." Then she smiles toward Javier, but she's staying near Benjamin as he's entered. "This is Benji, but he's super skilled. He's /the/ construction person." Her lips stay in the easy smile as she looks towards Erin when she's greeted.

Awkward or not, any smile from Ruiz was a special occasion. Finding herself respond in kind, there's a lopsided smile offered back. "Javi, it's so good to see you again. I hope your holidays were spectacular." Hopefully it comes across as sincere as it is intended, because as Benjamin speaks to her she gives her attention back over his way. "Never miss a game either," she confesses. A warm smile is given to Benjamin as well as a sort of inquisitive look, "Placing any bets on the game?" Gabriella, she had met in the Pourhouse, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Gabriella. Did you have a good holiday as well?"

Well, it doesn't take a detective to see that there's something going on here between the three of them. It's none of Javier's business; he's just here to collect his pizza and leave. Until one of the guys from the kitchen sticks his head out, apologises, and informs him he needs to remake it. At least it'll be on the house.

Easing out of his lean against the counter, he offers his hand in kind to Benjamin. For a Chief of Police, he sure has a lot of tattoos; they run all the way up to the first knuckle. "I think a couple of guys at the station've had some work done by you, yeah?" To Erin, as he's leaning back again, "Can't complain. How about yours?" Look, he's actually conversing.

“The Ravens.” Benjamin answers the easy questions first, because the cop in the room was likely quite right about his assumptions. Seriously, what was with the kitchen today, Benjamin was sure he ordered his pizza like fifteen minutes ago. Was the veil torturing him? Was this a Dream?

“And if I was, honestly,” There’s a brief look in de la Vega’s direction, because there’s no telling if he would take offense to the idea. Sports betting wasn’t always a legal market. Still, he grins at Erin, “Much as I love the Seahawks, I’d put money on the Ravens.”

If there is any tension between the trio or the all of them, Gabriella is not picking up on it. She's just happily chatting away. "Oh! My holiday was good. I don't have a lot of complaints. How was yours?" She smiles in a sincerely friendly manner towards Erin. Then she looks back towards Benjamin for a few moments of consideration. A quirk of a smile at him looking at Javier's direction. She is only one not really ordering the pizza. She's apparently also not getting one shared with her. Then she smiles at Javier. "Look at you making small talk. We are all so proud of you."

"I had a good holiday. Worked a lot though, but that's just this time of year." Erin responds to both Ruiz and Gabriella at the same time, though she gives a wry look to Gabriella, "Don't forget to get your flu shot, tis the season and all that. You too Chief, pretty sure the department would fall apart without you. " She glances between Gabriella and Javier, amused by the comment the shorter woman gives the Chief but opts not to get into what may possibly be a volley of banter if it continues.

Instead, she directs a look to Benjamin, the smile returns. See? No tension here! "Traitor," the smile slips into a playful sort of grin. "I have two favorite teams. The Seahawks and whoever is playing the 49ers." Hearing of the predicament in the kitchen, she laughs, "I wonder if we could get them to turn on the game here and just have a free for all pizza fest. Any of you game?" Including the other three in the invitation. "I'll buy the drinks or whatever."

Benjamin was starting to catch on that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t in hot water here. Maybe they could all just be adults. He starts to relax, and lets his head hang back as he’s called a traitor. “Look, I can want them to win and know they won’t.” He was smiling again and looking around for possible watch spots. Hell, there’s even a bolder option.

“I’m definitely down to share.” Phrasing, Benjamin, for fuck’s sake, “If they won’t we can just watch it at my place. I got plenty of room to host.”

"You still working up at the hospital?" That's directed to Erin, while the cop stays right where he is with his hands jammed in his pockets and his shoulders nearly hiked up to his ears. Chit-chat really isn't his forte. Gabriella's remark is thusly ignored, though there's a little tic in his jaw as he glances behind the counter for about the eighth time.

"Wouldn't want to be a third--" No, make that, "--fourth wheel," he tells Erin. Benjamin just gets a chuckle for his comments about betting; he doesn't seem particularly inclined to care.

Gabriella brightens the moment food is offered. She doesn't look like she's starving or that poor, but free is always better than not free. She does the happy Gabby dance which is sort of a bounce and gloriously happy smile to that. One thing she does love is food. "I mean we could.." Her eyes slide towards Javier for a moment as he's looking at the counter. "You wouldn't be a fourth wheel." Then she looks between Erin and Benjamin and then back to Ruiz thoughtfully. Her head tilts as her smile fades just a bit. It's still there. "But you know, I think I'll leave you three to figure it out."

"Oh no that's fine, I can watch the game here or back at my place. I don't want to impose or anthing." Or be that third wheel! Erin watches Ruiz leaning there, glances back to the kitchen then to the other two, a brief smile given to both Benjamin and Gabriella. "You two go ahead. I'll hang here with Javi for a bit. Thank you for the invitation though, I appreciate it."

So, Erin gives her attention back to the Chief. "I do. I'm still working my way towards RN. Not much longer though. The pay increase is coming!" Amused with herself and her own overexcitement about it, she motions towards one of the tables closest towards the television. "Want to watch the game or," a glance towards the exit. "Take my car for another spin and catch up?"

Benjamin just swipes a hand down over his face as he thinks about something. Really, it’s a long think, and he scratches his beard while he does it. Then he reaches a hand out in a rather assuming way and hooks a finger through the belt loop of the jeans Gabriella professes to always wearing and tugs on them.

“Do you want anything besides pizza? Drinks? Wings?” He looks at Erin and gives her a nod, a smirk to the Chief that’s on the guilty side, but his gaze eventually lands on Gabriella, the target of his question.

Javier opens his mouth to reply, and like magic, his pizza shows up. "Gracias," he mumbles to the guy, who's good as his word, and refunds the cost of it for him.

Managing to catch the tail end of Gabriella's odd little smile, he returns it with one of those funny, socially awkward things that don't quite qualify as such. And, "I'm not really into, uh, sports. Football, occasionally." He probably means football, as in soccer. As in, when Mexico's playing.

As to taking Erin's car for a spin, "Still got the Maserati, huh?" Look, it's a gorgeous car. "Sure. I walked over, wouldn't turn down a ride."

"You aren't imposing." Wait. It's not Gabby's house to say that about. "We could just eat and hang out here. What kind of car?" Her eyes move between the three of them now. "I have a sweet car." Wait for it. "I don't want anyone jealous." No, really, wait for it. "It's this light yellow color. It's a convertible, really great for living in California. Not prepared for the snow. It's a VW bug." Yeah.

There is a shocked look as her belt loop is grabbed and tugged. CLEARLY she was not expecting that as she loses her footing a bit. She's not going down, but she's tumbling a bit before catching herself. There is a stare at Benjamin and then she laughs. "I want all the food, but what is everyone else getting." She does swat at his hand on her belt loop though.

"Please don't hate me..." The words come to Javier as she looks at him and then Erin. "Whast is a Maserati? Is it one of those fast cars? I think I recall it being a fast car." There is a look to that as she smiles at Javier too. "I'm not really into sportsball. I sort of understand hockey and soccer. The rest I just tend to get kicked out of the room for asking too many questions, but I make bomb ass snacks."

It seems that Ruiz gets the pizza first and offers to go. "You're driving." A waggle of her brows that, while it could be taken as an innuendo, was totally not meant as one. "I'll google to see who wins the game. Let's get out of here." Erin calls back to the kitchen staff, "Donate it to the homeless." Like, that was a thing or something.

There's a smile towards the other two though, not running out or anything, she almost reaches out to try and catch the shorter woman, but as Gabriella manages to catch herself, she takes her hand back. "Sounds like a great car. Fitting, I think. You're all sunny and bright and happy." Just her own observation. "Yeah, it's a really fast car. I probably drive too fast, but I got out of the drinking and driving phase in high school." Cutting a sideways look to Javi. A hand is lifted and she waves to Benjamin. "Take care, yeah? It was good to see you again."

With that, she'll unpocket the keys to her car from her coat and dangle them for Ruiz. "Batter up."

“One.” Benjamin remarks in a familiar manner when she swats his hand, smirking a little but letting go of her for the moment. He doesn’t remark or even react to Gabriella basically inviting people over to his place. Par for the course, and honestly, it was a big empty house when it was just him in it.

“Seriously, if you want wings or cheesy bread or something add it to my order while we’re still waiting.” He instructs the little blond before giving the Chief a parting nod and finally looking to Erin.

“Same. Good to see you, too.” Lopsided, maybe just slightly guilty grin made again, “And if I don’t, I guess I’ll be seeing you sooner rather than later.” Oh, healthcare jokes. So funny in this town.

The Chief's about the last person to be casting stones on other peoples' complicated love lives. So he continues to feign ignorance of what's going on in his vicinity, despite the fact that he's a literal mind reader.

To Gabriella, "Hace muchísimo calor. Te lo estás perdiendo." Then a husky chuckle, and a wink to the pair of them. "You two have a nice night."

The pizza's probably going to wind up being eaten by the kitchen crew, so he'll have to sort out dinner later, it seems. But for now, the keys are claimed, and he ambles off for the door, and holds it for Erin.

Gabriella makes a look towards Benjamin and then to Erin. There is a like a 'walk her out' or a 'see her to her car' sort of look. A head tilt of confusion but she looks at the counter. "All those things. Just add them all on it... and a Diet Coke." Because after ordering all the bad food, that's what she should follow up with.

"It was good to see you again, Erin. Maybe next times you are giving car rides you can show me how fast you can drive it." There is a large smile for the woman. Then a pause. "Oh! Also thank you for the compliment. Although, I'm not nice. I'm mean. Grrr." She says the word grr, she does not make the sound. She also tries to bare her teeth.

"¿Te refieres al auto oa mí? Quizás te lo estás perdiendo." A look is cast towards Javier. She doesn't do it, but it's almost like a sticking out of the tongue should follow the words. Her eyes slide over him thoughtfully. There is no complicated love lives. Everything is roses.

"Something like that." Erin tells Benjamin in response with a quiet smile, but that's all she says. As Ruiz speaks Spanish to Gabby, Erin only adds on to what Gabriella is told. "The car really is hot. Sure I'll give you a ride sometime. As long as I get one in your bug." Her tone still holds warmth and friendliness. "And knowing Javi, he means both."

Mischief finds its way to her eyes and remains there before she turns to follow Ruiz to the door when he holds it open for her. In passing, she offers, "Podemos detenernos en el restaurante drive-thru mientras nos dirigimos a cualquier lugar que su corazón desee ir." With that, she steps out of the pizza place and walks towards the passenger side of her car.