We're just a couple running a diner. {RP blog for Beelzebubette and Maureen from SFTH. Banner is a free none ai image from unsplash.com. icon created by me}
Hi. I'm Babette (she/they) . I run this diner with my wife, Maureen (she/her) We decided to start this blog to advertise our business, but it's mostly to keep me from being bored.
One thing I need to get out of the way , I'm a demon. Me and my wife were from Hell but we were banished to Earth. I'm being upfront about it because I have no reason to hide it. You humans have seen enough that I doubt the existence of Hell and demons would surprise you anymore.
Me and my darling use human disguises because we don't want to deal with the chaos of walking around looking like what we actually are. It's not for your comfort, it's for ours.
Anyway, our diner is open for business! The food is great... I would know! And it's all you can eat! You can eat as much as you want. Even when you don't need to! You can just eat and consume and eat and consume and eat and consume and eat and
✦ edited ✦
Hello. Maureen here. I apologise for my wife, she gets carried away when food is involved, as you can see.
What she was trying to say is that we've recently opened the B&M Diner and we'd love for you to come in. Everything is all you can eat for $50. Feel free to have a look at our menu. We're both here and happy to answer any asks you send our way. Thank you for stopping by and we hope to see you soon.
{OOC: Hi, I'm Shay, she/they, 30s. My personal blog is @shootforthebit
This is an RP blog based on the improvised play The Screams of the Damned by Shoot From The Hip, focused on the characters Beelzububette and Maureen. Any lore surrounding the characters that wasn't mentioned in the play is entirely my own!
I used to RP a while back and SFTH got me wanting to get back into it, so here I am! I really hope to meet and interact with some lovely people and have a good time with it.
To make reading easier, Babette's parts and posts are in orange, Maureen in pink, and any narration and action are in black. All OOC posts will be inside this { } symbol and stated as such.
Edited to add.
all in character tumblr posts by Babette are tagged as #babette and maureen post
all in character tumblr posts by Babette are tagged as #babette posts
all in character tumblr posts by Maureen are tagged as #maureen posts
all tumblr asks answered by both Babette and Maureen are tagged as #babette and maureen chat
all in person conversations by both Babette and Maureen are tagged as #babette and maureen interact
all in character reblogs are just tagged as either #babette reblogs, #maureen reblogs, and #babette and maureen reblog
And all posts by me, the mun, will be tagged as either #{ooc answers} or #{ooc post}
food is also tagged if anyone wants to filter it. also I will tag anything mature or nsfw appropiately.
If you want to see the characters' profiles and what they look like in this verse, you can check out this post. If you wanna learn more about the hell in this universe, check out this "in universe" post!
Before we dive in, please read the following below:
RULES
No godmodding - please do not control Babette or Maureen in your interactions
Muns must be 18+ for NSFW interactions
Magic asks and asks that start threads and plots are welcomed! But any attempts to break up the couple are not.
Please do not send unsolicited NSFW content
All hate speech will result in a block
Please be patient with response times
WARNINGS
This blog contains demonic themes and references to Hell
Maureen’s history as a killer may be referenced
Dark themes may arise throughout interactions
This blog contains frequent mentions of food, eating and overconsumption, please take care if these are sensitive topics for you
NSFW content may appear but will not be sexually explicit
If you see anything else that you may need to be tagged or to have trigger warnings for, please feel free to tell me.
Other than all that, I hope we all have fun!
Thanks for reading and I can't wait to interact with ya'll!
END OF OOC POST}
Sometimes Maureen still can't believe how successful their diner had gotten. Balham has no shortage of places to eat, there's plenty of other diners and restaurants crammed along every street near the station, but somehow their diner had thrived, mostly because nowhere else in a five mile radius gives you this much food for this little money.
Every booth is full, there's a line building near the counter, and Maureen's in the middle of balancing two trays when the air in the room seems to shift, a crack, like the room itself hiccups, and standing in the middle of the diner is right between two occupied booths and in full view of everyone, is a creature about the height of a short human, standing upright, dressed in actual clothes, but unmistakably and undeniably a rat.
Maureen gapes at the creature. "What the fuck?"
Then someone screams, and that's all it takes for the whole diner to erupt into chaos. Chairs scrape back hard enough to topple, a drink goes crashing to the floor, and half-finished meals are abandoned as people scramble over each other to reach the door.
"Wait, please, there's no need to--"
Maureen starts, but her words are lost in the noise, swallowed by the sound of the bell above the door jangling over and over as people shove their way out.
And then the diner is empty, the door swinging shut behind the last customer and leaving the dining room in a mess of knocked over chairs and abandoned food.
The kitchen door bangs open a second later and Babette comes storming out. "What's with all the screaming? Did something happen, are you hurt, I--" Her question dies in her throat as her eyes land on what's standing in the middle of the room. "What the fuck?"
Carlos had just been running. Running away as fast as he could, trying, desperately, to survive, to do anything. And then he found himself in the midst of a diner filled with customers.
And as the room suddenly interrupted into chaos, he crouched down, trying to protect himself and his vial. The same vial that he began quietly praying to. That he wished hopelessly that this was just a dream. Muttering in Ratin to himself. However, as he opened his eyes once again, he looked up to find the last two people in the Diner staring at him.
"Eh...! I swear! I don't mean you any harm! I swear by the flow! Please!"
Carlos' ears flattened as his eyes darted to the exits, clearly he wanted out. But with the two women in between him and the exits, he simply continued to plead.
"Please. I swear! I will not harm a soul!"
His hands reach in front of him, attempting to channel the power of the Flow as he doesn't manage more than to conjure one tiny armored rat made out of water, which simply panics the rat more.
Babette steps in front of Maureen almost immediately, placing herself between her wife and the creature before fixing him with a hard stare. "Who are you?" she demands. "What do you want?" She falls silent for a moment, studying him more closely before her expression shifts into a frown. "…You taste strange." The words come out quieter this time, more to herself than anyone else. "You're not human, but you're not Hellborn either nor a damned." Her eyes narrow. "So where the fuck did you come from?" She doesn't move an inch from where she's standing. "I don't know what you want, but if you so much as harm my Maureen, I swear you'll regret it."
Maureen reaches up and rests a reassuring hand on Babette's shoulder. "It's okay, darling," she says gently, giving it a small squeeze before turning her attention back to the stranger. "You said you wouldn't harm a soul, didn't you?" she asks, keeping her voice calm. "I'd like to believe you. Can you tell us who you are… and where you came from?"
"Yes. Yes, of course. I... well. I will try to explain. My name is Carlos Huispas, I am a cleric to the flow. I... I swear, I have no clue how I got here. But I am certainly not from the hells or a damned."
Carlos hesitantly lowers his hands, Still keeping his head down low.
"I come from Donlon, I was... I was running from the black hole, and the next thing I knew, I was here... I swear on the flow I did not mean to frighten anyone, I wasn't even aware I could be here..."
Babette's expression doesn't soften, though the tension in her shoulders eases slightly as she listens to him. "Hmmm," she mutters, almost to herself. "You don't taste like you're lying." She folds her arms across her chest, still keeping herself between Carlos and Maureen. "I've never heard of Donlon, and I don't know what this 'Flow' is, but you're telling me you've somehow fallen into our world?" She lets out a quiet scoff, more bewildered than dismissive. "Just when I thought exile couldn't get any stranger..."
The silence that follows gives Maureen a chance to notice the state of the diner. Chairs had been knocked over, half-finished meals still sat abandoned on the tables, and what should have been the busiest part of the afternoon had come to an abrupt end. She lets out a quiet sigh. "I think it's best if we close for now."
Walking over to the front door, she flips the sign to "Closed", locks it, and draws the blinds across the windows before returning to the dining room.
She leads them to one of the booths and looks back to Carlos with a small, reassuring smile. "Why don't we sit down? I think we'd all be more comfortable sitting than standing across the room from one another."
And after a brief hesitation, Babette reluctantly joins her but she never takes her eyes off Carlos.
Carlos stands still for a moment. Contemplating whether it was safer to run or to sit as the opportunity presented itself. But as his eyes returned to babette's, he sat down quite swiftly clearing his throat.
"Si... I have fallen from my world. I am not exactly sure how."
He then turns to the door, still curious about the running and the screaming.
"Is Ratkin not common here? I would have attempted a glamour, but It was a little too late..."
Babette doesn't look away as Carlos takes his seat. "Ratkin?" she repeats, the unfamiliar word rolling off her tongue with obvious skepticism. "No. This world has rats, but they're..." She gestures vaguely with one hand. "...rats." She studies him for another moment before leaning back in her seat. "If you'd walked in looking like an ordinary human, none of this would've happened."
Maureen glances toward the front of the diner, where the last traces of the lunch rush still lingered in the form of abandoned meals and overturned chairs. "People here aren't used to seeing someone who looks like you," she explains gently before turning her attention back to Carlos. "No one has ever seen anything like it before." She pauses, letting what he'd said settle in. "You said you've fallen from your world. Has anything like this ever happened before, or is this the first time?"
Carlos felt a little like he was being interrogated again and his ears flattened a bit. Whatever nerves he had being a spy for the Mudlarks seemed to be sapped away being interrogated by these two women. One who seemed... deeply supernatural. He answered the supernatural woman first and her Maureen second. It was... unnerving how similar she looked to the Maureen he knew. Yet her smell is different, and the lack of elf ears gave it away.
"Ratkin is what I am. If I had known I was transporting to this world, I would have put a... bit... more effort into my appearance. I... I can attempt to change it now if you would like, but it only lasts 3, maybe four hours for me."
He then turned to her Maureen.
"As far as I am aware, this is the first time. I have never heard of anyone being transported to other worlds. Maybe to other realms, but most do not return to confirm the myths and tales."
He glanced back at the supernatural woman, clearly mostly unnerved by her.
"If... if Ratkin are not a common species here, what are common species?"
"Humans," Babette answers simply. "And ordinary animals don't stand upright or talk." She gives a small shrug. "But you don't have to glamour yourself for our sake. I'm not human, you see, and neither is Maureen." She glances toward her wife. "Well... not anymore."
Maureen tucks a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. "For everyone else's sake, though, I do think a glamour would be wise." She folds her hands together on the table, her expression remaining gentle. "This world isn't a stranger to the supernatural or otherworldly creatures, but very few ever encounter it themselves. Most non-humans prefer to blend in, so seeing someone openly walking around in their true form tends to cause..." Her eyes drift briefly toward the abandoned tables before returning to Carlos with an apologetic smile. "...something like this."
Carlos quietly examined the tables strewn about. He genuinely felt quite bad for spooking everyone, and it began to creep into his expressions as he quietly turned to look at the table in front of him.
"I again... apologize for this. I did not mean to cause such... chaos."
He paused for a moment more before asking,
"I... am curious, how are you not human? You don't look any different to me... although you definitely smell different. Also, how do you keep up your glamours?"
Maureen gives him a small, reassuring smile when he apologizes again. "It's alright. You didn't mean for any of that to happen." She glances around the diner before looking back at him. "And honestly, I don't think anyone here was prepared to see a talking rat appear in the middle of lunch."
Babette folds her arms across her chest, looking Carlos over. "As for the glamour, it's not particularly difficult. All hellbournes and demons have a default human form when we manifest in the mortal realm. It's simply the form we naturally take here, so we don't immediately stand out." She gives a small shrug. "It's just something a demon of my status was born with."
Maureen rests her hands together on the table. "My situation is a little different. I was human once, but I died and ended up in Hell. I've been there long enough that I'm not exactly what I was when I was alive. Babette had to cast a spell just so I could look the way I do now."
Babette glances toward Maureen before looking back at Carlos. "Keeping a glamour in place isn't difficult once you're used to it. Ours can last for quite a while without needing much attention."
Maureen gives him another small smile. "If you need help figuring yours out, though, we'd be happy to help. If you're going to be staying here, it might make things easier for you."
Carlos' ears are the first thing to un-tense. Cautiously, they start perking up as he realizes he's less and less in danger.
"That would be helpful, Yes. I can only cast my Glamour for so long. It would help immensely. Especially if I am to live here."
The ratkin pursed his lips in thought for a moment.
"Magic does exist here, correct? Since you are able to glamour yourselves? How do humans not realize the magic exists? I understand that ones like me do not exist, but beings like yourselves?"
"Of course magic exists here." Babette scoffs. "Magic exists everywhere. The difference is that most humans here simply don't encounter it as much" She explains. "There are people who know about the supernatural, but for most of them, it's something too complicated for them to comprehend."
Maureen nods. "We've never considered to trouble ourselves in hiding what we are. But we still keep up human appearances because the reaction to our real forms would be disastrous." She gives Carlos a sympathetic smile. "Which is why I think helping you with your glamour would be a good idea. You'd probably have an easier time getting around if people weren't immediately terrified of you."
Carlos nods, curious as to how magic would even work here. He subconsciously wraps his hands around his vial of flow water as he thinks, before finally asking.
"How... would this work? I do not know if my magic would even work here..."
Carlos helplessly looks between the two women, not knowing how to help, or even if he can help...
Maureen looks toward Carlos. "Well, do you know what or where your source of magic is? If you're from another world, I'm assuming yours may be different."
"If that's the case, you'll have to find a different source here." Babette speaks. "Otherwise, I can just cast the spell for you." she says the words casually, leaning back on her seat.
"Would you able to--" Maureen begins but stops at the look Babette gives her.
Carlos reverently takes off the vial of flow water he had been subconsciously holding onto.
"As a Mudlark, I worship... worshipped the flow. It was a river through the center of Donlon filled to the brim with Wild Magic... I... this is all I have left of it now."
The vial of water shimmers with an iridescent glow as it's held out under the artificial lighting.
"I... I am not sure, but I do wish to keep as much of my water as I can... it is very precious..."
Maureen looks at the vial in Carlos's hands, realizing she hasn't seen anything like it before. "The Flow doesn't exist in this world, Carlos. At least, not that I know of." She explains. "If you want to use magic here, you'd have to draw from one of the sources that does exist here instead." There's a pause before she continues. "Though I don't know if you know what those are."
Sometimes Maureen still can't believe how successful their diner had gotten. Balham has no shortage of places to eat, there's plenty of other diners and restaurants crammed along every street near the station, but somehow their diner had thrived, mostly because nowhere else in a five mile radius gives you this much food for this little money.
Every booth is full, there's a line building near the counter, and Maureen's in the middle of balancing two trays when the air in the room seems to shift, a crack, like the room itself hiccups, and standing in the middle of the diner is right between two occupied booths and in full view of everyone, is a creature about the height of a short human, standing upright, dressed in actual clothes, but unmistakably and undeniably a rat.
Maureen gapes at the creature. "What the fuck?"
Then someone screams, and that's all it takes for the whole diner to erupt into chaos. Chairs scrape back hard enough to topple, a drink goes crashing to the floor, and half-finished meals are abandoned as people scramble over each other to reach the door.
"Wait, please, there's no need to--"
Maureen starts, but her words are lost in the noise, swallowed by the sound of the bell above the door jangling over and over as people shove their way out.
And then the diner is empty, the door swinging shut behind the last customer and leaving the dining room in a mess of knocked over chairs and abandoned food.
The kitchen door bangs open a second later and Babette comes storming out. "What's with all the screaming? Did something happen, are you hurt, I--" Her question dies in her throat as her eyes land on what's standing in the middle of the room. "What the fuck?"
Carlos had just been running. Running away as fast as he could, trying, desperately, to survive, to do anything. And then he found himself in the midst of a diner filled with customers.
And as the room suddenly interrupted into chaos, he crouched down, trying to protect himself and his vial. The same vial that he began quietly praying to. That he wished hopelessly that this was just a dream. Muttering in Ratin to himself. However, as he opened his eyes once again, he looked up to find the last two people in the Diner staring at him.
"Eh...! I swear! I don't mean you any harm! I swear by the flow! Please!"
Carlos' ears flattened as his eyes darted to the exits, clearly he wanted out. But with the two women in between him and the exits, he simply continued to plead.
"Please. I swear! I will not harm a soul!"
His hands reach in front of him, attempting to channel the power of the Flow as he doesn't manage more than to conjure one tiny armored rat made out of water, which simply panics the rat more.
Babette steps in front of Maureen almost immediately, placing herself between her wife and the creature before fixing him with a hard stare. "Who are you?" she demands. "What do you want?" She falls silent for a moment, studying him more closely before her expression shifts into a frown. "…You taste strange." The words come out quieter this time, more to herself than anyone else. "You're not human, but you're not Hellborn either nor a damned." Her eyes narrow. "So where the fuck did you come from?" She doesn't move an inch from where she's standing. "I don't know what you want, but if you so much as harm my Maureen, I swear you'll regret it."
Maureen reaches up and rests a reassuring hand on Babette's shoulder. "It's okay, darling," she says gently, giving it a small squeeze before turning her attention back to the stranger. "You said you wouldn't harm a soul, didn't you?" she asks, keeping her voice calm. "I'd like to believe you. Can you tell us who you are… and where you came from?"
"Yes. Yes, of course. I... well. I will try to explain. My name is Carlos Huispas, I am a cleric to the flow. I... I swear, I have no clue how I got here. But I am certainly not from the hells or a damned."
Carlos hesitantly lowers his hands, Still keeping his head down low.
"I come from Donlon, I was... I was running from the black hole, and the next thing I knew, I was here... I swear on the flow I did not mean to frighten anyone, I wasn't even aware I could be here..."
Babette's expression doesn't soften, though the tension in her shoulders eases slightly as she listens to him. "Hmmm," she mutters, almost to herself. "You don't taste like you're lying." She folds her arms across her chest, still keeping herself between Carlos and Maureen. "I've never heard of Donlon, and I don't know what this 'Flow' is, but you're telling me you've somehow fallen into our world?" She lets out a quiet scoff, more bewildered than dismissive. "Just when I thought exile couldn't get any stranger..."
The silence that follows gives Maureen a chance to notice the state of the diner. Chairs had been knocked over, half-finished meals still sat abandoned on the tables, and what should have been the busiest part of the afternoon had come to an abrupt end. She lets out a quiet sigh. "I think it's best if we close for now."
Walking over to the front door, she flips the sign to "Closed", locks it, and draws the blinds across the windows before returning to the dining room.
She leads them to one of the booths and looks back to Carlos with a small, reassuring smile. "Why don't we sit down? I think we'd all be more comfortable sitting than standing across the room from one another."
And after a brief hesitation, Babette reluctantly joins her but she never takes her eyes off Carlos.
Carlos stands still for a moment. Contemplating whether it was safer to run or to sit as the opportunity presented itself. But as his eyes returned to babette's, he sat down quite swiftly clearing his throat.
"Si... I have fallen from my world. I am not exactly sure how."
He then turns to the door, still curious about the running and the screaming.
"Is Ratkin not common here? I would have attempted a glamour, but It was a little too late..."
Babette doesn't look away as Carlos takes his seat. "Ratkin?" she repeats, the unfamiliar word rolling off her tongue with obvious skepticism. "No. This world has rats, but they're..." She gestures vaguely with one hand. "...rats." She studies him for another moment before leaning back in her seat. "If you'd walked in looking like an ordinary human, none of this would've happened."
Maureen glances toward the front of the diner, where the last traces of the lunch rush still lingered in the form of abandoned meals and overturned chairs. "People here aren't used to seeing someone who looks like you," she explains gently before turning her attention back to Carlos. "No one has ever seen anything like it before." She pauses, letting what he'd said settle in. "You said you've fallen from your world. Has anything like this ever happened before, or is this the first time?"
Carlos felt a little like he was being interrogated again and his ears flattened a bit. Whatever nerves he had being a spy for the Mudlarks seemed to be sapped away being interrogated by these two women. One who seemed... deeply supernatural. He answered the supernatural woman first and her Maureen second. It was... unnerving how similar she looked to the Maureen he knew. Yet her smell is different, and the lack of elf ears gave it away.
"Ratkin is what I am. If I had known I was transporting to this world, I would have put a... bit... more effort into my appearance. I... I can attempt to change it now if you would like, but it only lasts 3, maybe four hours for me."
He then turned to her Maureen.
"As far as I am aware, this is the first time. I have never heard of anyone being transported to other worlds. Maybe to other realms, but most do not return to confirm the myths and tales."
He glanced back at the supernatural woman, clearly mostly unnerved by her.
"If... if Ratkin are not a common species here, what are common species?"
"Humans," Babette answers simply. "And ordinary animals don't stand upright or talk." She gives a small shrug. "But you don't have to glamour yourself for our sake. I'm not human, you see, and neither is Maureen." She glances toward her wife. "Well... not anymore."
Maureen tucks a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. "For everyone else's sake, though, I do think a glamour would be wise." She folds her hands together on the table, her expression remaining gentle. "This world isn't a stranger to the supernatural or otherworldly creatures, but very few ever encounter it themselves. Most non-humans prefer to blend in, so seeing someone openly walking around in their true form tends to cause..." Her eyes drift briefly toward the abandoned tables before returning to Carlos with an apologetic smile. "...something like this."
Carlos quietly examined the tables strewn about. He genuinely felt quite bad for spooking everyone, and it began to creep into his expressions as he quietly turned to look at the table in front of him.
"I again... apologize for this. I did not mean to cause such... chaos."
He paused for a moment more before asking,
"I... am curious, how are you not human? You don't look any different to me... although you definitely smell different. Also, how do you keep up your glamours?"
Maureen gives him a small, reassuring smile when he apologizes again. "It's alright. You didn't mean for any of that to happen." She glances around the diner before looking back at him. "And honestly, I don't think anyone here was prepared to see a talking rat appear in the middle of lunch."
Babette folds her arms across her chest, looking Carlos over. "As for the glamour, it's not particularly difficult. All hellbournes and demons have a default human form when we manifest in the mortal realm. It's simply the form we naturally take here, so we don't immediately stand out." She gives a small shrug. "It's just something a demon of my status was born with."
Maureen rests her hands together on the table. "My situation is a little different. I was human once, but I died and ended up in Hell. I've been there long enough that I'm not exactly what I was when I was alive. Babette had to cast a spell just so I could look the way I do now."
Babette glances toward Maureen before looking back at Carlos. "Keeping a glamour in place isn't difficult once you're used to it. Ours can last for quite a while without needing much attention."
Maureen gives him another small smile. "If you need help figuring yours out, though, we'd be happy to help. If you're going to be staying here, it might make things easier for you."
Carlos' ears are the first thing to un-tense. Cautiously, they start perking up as he realizes he's less and less in danger.
"That would be helpful, Yes. I can only cast my Glamour for so long. It would help immensely. Especially if I am to live here."
The ratkin pursed his lips in thought for a moment.
"Magic does exist here, correct? Since you are able to glamour yourselves? How do humans not realize the magic exists? I understand that ones like me do not exist, but beings like yourselves?"
"Of course magic exists here." Babette scoffs. "Magic exists everywhere. The difference is that most humans here simply don't encounter it as much" She explains. "There are people who know about the supernatural, but for most of them, it's something too complicated for them to comprehend."
Maureen nods. "We've never considered to trouble ourselves in hiding what we are. But we still keep up human appearances because the reaction to our real forms would be disastrous." She gives Carlos a sympathetic smile. "Which is why I think helping you with your glamour would be a good idea. You'd probably have an easier time getting around if people weren't immediately terrified of you."
Carlos nods, curious as to how magic would even work here. He subconsciously wraps his hands around his vial of flow water as he thinks, before finally asking.
"How... would this work? I do not know if my magic would even work here..."
Carlos helplessly looks between the two women, not knowing how to help, or even if he can help...
Maureen looks toward Carlos. "Well, do you know what or where your source of magic is? If you're from another world, I'm assuming yours may be different."
"If that's the case, you'll have to find a different source here." Babette speaks. "Otherwise, I can just cast the spell for you." she says the words casually, leaning back on her seat.
"Would you able to--" Maureen begins but stops at the look Babette gives her.
Sometimes Maureen still can't believe how successful their diner had gotten. Balham has no shortage of places to eat, there's plenty of other diners and restaurants crammed along every street near the station, but somehow their diner had thrived, mostly because nowhere else in a five mile radius gives you this much food for this little money.
Every booth is full, there's a line building near the counter, and Maureen's in the middle of balancing two trays when the air in the room seems to shift, a crack, like the room itself hiccups, and standing in the middle of the diner is right between two occupied booths and in full view of everyone, is a creature about the height of a short human, standing upright, dressed in actual clothes, but unmistakably and undeniably a rat.
Maureen gapes at the creature. "What the fuck?"
Then someone screams, and that's all it takes for the whole diner to erupt into chaos. Chairs scrape back hard enough to topple, a drink goes crashing to the floor, and half-finished meals are abandoned as people scramble over each other to reach the door.
"Wait, please, there's no need to--"
Maureen starts, but her words are lost in the noise, swallowed by the sound of the bell above the door jangling over and over as people shove their way out.
And then the diner is empty, the door swinging shut behind the last customer and leaving the dining room in a mess of knocked over chairs and abandoned food.
The kitchen door bangs open a second later and Babette comes storming out. "What's with all the screaming? Did something happen, are you hurt, I--" Her question dies in her throat as her eyes land on what's standing in the middle of the room. "What the fuck?"
Carlos had just been running. Running away as fast as he could, trying, desperately, to survive, to do anything. And then he found himself in the midst of a diner filled with customers.
And as the room suddenly interrupted into chaos, he crouched down, trying to protect himself and his vial. The same vial that he began quietly praying to. That he wished hopelessly that this was just a dream. Muttering in Ratin to himself. However, as he opened his eyes once again, he looked up to find the last two people in the Diner staring at him.
"Eh...! I swear! I don't mean you any harm! I swear by the flow! Please!"
Carlos' ears flattened as his eyes darted to the exits, clearly he wanted out. But with the two women in between him and the exits, he simply continued to plead.
"Please. I swear! I will not harm a soul!"
His hands reach in front of him, attempting to channel the power of the Flow as he doesn't manage more than to conjure one tiny armored rat made out of water, which simply panics the rat more.
Babette steps in front of Maureen almost immediately, placing herself between her wife and the creature before fixing him with a hard stare. "Who are you?" she demands. "What do you want?" She falls silent for a moment, studying him more closely before her expression shifts into a frown. "…You taste strange." The words come out quieter this time, more to herself than anyone else. "You're not human, but you're not Hellborn either nor a damned." Her eyes narrow. "So where the fuck did you come from?" She doesn't move an inch from where she's standing. "I don't know what you want, but if you so much as harm my Maureen, I swear you'll regret it."
Maureen reaches up and rests a reassuring hand on Babette's shoulder. "It's okay, darling," she says gently, giving it a small squeeze before turning her attention back to the stranger. "You said you wouldn't harm a soul, didn't you?" she asks, keeping her voice calm. "I'd like to believe you. Can you tell us who you are… and where you came from?"
"Yes. Yes, of course. I... well. I will try to explain. My name is Carlos Huispas, I am a cleric to the flow. I... I swear, I have no clue how I got here. But I am certainly not from the hells or a damned."
Carlos hesitantly lowers his hands, Still keeping his head down low.
"I come from Donlon, I was... I was running from the black hole, and the next thing I knew, I was here... I swear on the flow I did not mean to frighten anyone, I wasn't even aware I could be here..."
Babette's expression doesn't soften, though the tension in her shoulders eases slightly as she listens to him. "Hmmm," she mutters, almost to herself. "You don't taste like you're lying." She folds her arms across her chest, still keeping herself between Carlos and Maureen. "I've never heard of Donlon, and I don't know what this 'Flow' is, but you're telling me you've somehow fallen into our world?" She lets out a quiet scoff, more bewildered than dismissive. "Just when I thought exile couldn't get any stranger..."
The silence that follows gives Maureen a chance to notice the state of the diner. Chairs had been knocked over, half-finished meals still sat abandoned on the tables, and what should have been the busiest part of the afternoon had come to an abrupt end. She lets out a quiet sigh. "I think it's best if we close for now."
Walking over to the front door, she flips the sign to "Closed", locks it, and draws the blinds across the windows before returning to the dining room.
She leads them to one of the booths and looks back to Carlos with a small, reassuring smile. "Why don't we sit down? I think we'd all be more comfortable sitting than standing across the room from one another."
And after a brief hesitation, Babette reluctantly joins her but she never takes her eyes off Carlos.
Carlos stands still for a moment. Contemplating whether it was safer to run or to sit as the opportunity presented itself. But as his eyes returned to babette's, he sat down quite swiftly clearing his throat.
"Si... I have fallen from my world. I am not exactly sure how."
He then turns to the door, still curious about the running and the screaming.
"Is Ratkin not common here? I would have attempted a glamour, but It was a little too late..."
Babette doesn't look away as Carlos takes his seat. "Ratkin?" she repeats, the unfamiliar word rolling off her tongue with obvious skepticism. "No. This world has rats, but they're..." She gestures vaguely with one hand. "...rats." She studies him for another moment before leaning back in her seat. "If you'd walked in looking like an ordinary human, none of this would've happened."
Maureen glances toward the front of the diner, where the last traces of the lunch rush still lingered in the form of abandoned meals and overturned chairs. "People here aren't used to seeing someone who looks like you," she explains gently before turning her attention back to Carlos. "No one has ever seen anything like it before." She pauses, letting what he'd said settle in. "You said you've fallen from your world. Has anything like this ever happened before, or is this the first time?"
Carlos felt a little like he was being interrogated again and his ears flattened a bit. Whatever nerves he had being a spy for the Mudlarks seemed to be sapped away being interrogated by these two women. One who seemed... deeply supernatural. He answered the supernatural woman first and her Maureen second. It was... unnerving how similar she looked to the Maureen he knew. Yet her smell is different, and the lack of elf ears gave it away.
"Ratkin is what I am. If I had known I was transporting to this world, I would have put a... bit... more effort into my appearance. I... I can attempt to change it now if you would like, but it only lasts 3, maybe four hours for me."
He then turned to her Maureen.
"As far as I am aware, this is the first time. I have never heard of anyone being transported to other worlds. Maybe to other realms, but most do not return to confirm the myths and tales."
He glanced back at the supernatural woman, clearly mostly unnerved by her.
"If... if Ratkin are not a common species here, what are common species?"
"Humans," Babette answers simply. "And ordinary animals don't stand upright or talk." She gives a small shrug. "But you don't have to glamour yourself for our sake. I'm not human, you see, and neither is Maureen." She glances toward her wife. "Well... not anymore."
Maureen tucks a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. "For everyone else's sake, though, I do think a glamour would be wise." She folds her hands together on the table, her expression remaining gentle. "This world isn't a stranger to the supernatural or otherworldly creatures, but very few ever encounter it themselves. Most non-humans prefer to blend in, so seeing someone openly walking around in their true form tends to cause..." Her eyes drift briefly toward the abandoned tables before returning to Carlos with an apologetic smile. "...something like this."
Carlos quietly examined the tables strewn about. He genuinely felt quite bad for spooking everyone, and it began to creep into his expressions as he quietly turned to look at the table in front of him.
"I again... apologize for this. I did not mean to cause such... chaos."
He paused for a moment more before asking,
"I... am curious, how are you not human? You don't look any different to me... although you definitely smell different. Also, how do you keep up your glamours?"
Maureen gives him a small, reassuring smile when he apologizes again. "It's alright. You didn't mean for any of that to happen." She glances around the diner before looking back at him. "And honestly, I don't think anyone here was prepared to see a talking rat appear in the middle of lunch."
Babette folds her arms across her chest, looking Carlos over. "As for the glamour, it's not particularly difficult. All hellbournes and demons have a default human form when we manifest in the mortal realm. It's simply the form we naturally take here, so we don't immediately stand out." She gives a small shrug. "It's just something a demon of my status was born with."
Maureen rests her hands together on the table. "My situation is a little different. I was human once, but I died and ended up in Hell. I've been there long enough that I'm not exactly what I was when I was alive. Babette had to cast a spell just so I could look the way I do now."
Babette glances toward Maureen before looking back at Carlos. "Keeping a glamour in place isn't difficult once you're used to it. Ours can last for quite a while without needing much attention."
Maureen gives him another small smile. "If you need help figuring yours out, though, we'd be happy to help. If you're going to be staying here, it might make things easier for you."
Carlos' ears are the first thing to un-tense. Cautiously, they start perking up as he realizes he's less and less in danger.
"That would be helpful, Yes. I can only cast my Glamour for so long. It would help immensely. Especially if I am to live here."
The ratkin pursed his lips in thought for a moment.
"Magic does exist here, correct? Since you are able to glamour yourselves? How do humans not realize the magic exists? I understand that ones like me do not exist, but beings like yourselves?"
"Of course magic exists here." Babette scoffs. "Magic exists everywhere. The difference is that most humans here simply don't encounter it as much" She explains. "There are people who know about the supernatural, but for most of them, it's something too complicated for them to comprehend."
Maureen nods. "We've never considered to trouble ourselves in hiding what we are. But we still keep up human appearances because the reaction to our real forms would be disastrous." She gives Carlos a sympathetic smile. "Which is why I think helping you with your glamour would be a good idea. You'd probably have an easier time getting around if people weren't immediately terrified of you."
Sometimes Maureen still can't believe how successful their diner had gotten. Balham has no shortage of places to eat, there's plenty of other diners and restaurants crammed along every street near the station, but somehow their diner had thrived, mostly because nowhere else in a five mile radius gives you this much food for this little money.
Every booth is full, there's a line building near the counter, and Maureen's in the middle of balancing two trays when the air in the room seems to shift, a crack, like the room itself hiccups, and standing in the middle of the diner is right between two occupied booths and in full view of everyone, is a creature about the height of a short human, standing upright, dressed in actual clothes, but unmistakably and undeniably a rat.
Maureen gapes at the creature. "What the fuck?"
Then someone screams, and that's all it takes for the whole diner to erupt into chaos. Chairs scrape back hard enough to topple, a drink goes crashing to the floor, and half-finished meals are abandoned as people scramble over each other to reach the door.
"Wait, please, there's no need to--"
Maureen starts, but her words are lost in the noise, swallowed by the sound of the bell above the door jangling over and over as people shove their way out.
And then the diner is empty, the door swinging shut behind the last customer and leaving the dining room in a mess of knocked over chairs and abandoned food.
The kitchen door bangs open a second later and Babette comes storming out. "What's with all the screaming? Did something happen, are you hurt, I--" Her question dies in her throat as her eyes land on what's standing in the middle of the room. "What the fuck?"
Carlos had just been running. Running away as fast as he could, trying, desperately, to survive, to do anything. And then he found himself in the midst of a diner filled with customers.
And as the room suddenly interrupted into chaos, he crouched down, trying to protect himself and his vial. The same vial that he began quietly praying to. That he wished hopelessly that this was just a dream. Muttering in Ratin to himself. However, as he opened his eyes once again, he looked up to find the last two people in the Diner staring at him.
"Eh...! I swear! I don't mean you any harm! I swear by the flow! Please!"
Carlos' ears flattened as his eyes darted to the exits, clearly he wanted out. But with the two women in between him and the exits, he simply continued to plead.
"Please. I swear! I will not harm a soul!"
His hands reach in front of him, attempting to channel the power of the Flow as he doesn't manage more than to conjure one tiny armored rat made out of water, which simply panics the rat more.
Babette steps in front of Maureen almost immediately, placing herself between her wife and the creature before fixing him with a hard stare. "Who are you?" she demands. "What do you want?" She falls silent for a moment, studying him more closely before her expression shifts into a frown. "…You taste strange." The words come out quieter this time, more to herself than anyone else. "You're not human, but you're not Hellborn either nor a damned." Her eyes narrow. "So where the fuck did you come from?" She doesn't move an inch from where she's standing. "I don't know what you want, but if you so much as harm my Maureen, I swear you'll regret it."
Maureen reaches up and rests a reassuring hand on Babette's shoulder. "It's okay, darling," she says gently, giving it a small squeeze before turning her attention back to the stranger. "You said you wouldn't harm a soul, didn't you?" she asks, keeping her voice calm. "I'd like to believe you. Can you tell us who you are… and where you came from?"
"Yes. Yes, of course. I... well. I will try to explain. My name is Carlos Huispas, I am a cleric to the flow. I... I swear, I have no clue how I got here. But I am certainly not from the hells or a damned."
Carlos hesitantly lowers his hands, Still keeping his head down low.
"I come from Donlon, I was... I was running from the black hole, and the next thing I knew, I was here... I swear on the flow I did not mean to frighten anyone, I wasn't even aware I could be here..."
Babette's expression doesn't soften, though the tension in her shoulders eases slightly as she listens to him. "Hmmm," she mutters, almost to herself. "You don't taste like you're lying." She folds her arms across her chest, still keeping herself between Carlos and Maureen. "I've never heard of Donlon, and I don't know what this 'Flow' is, but you're telling me you've somehow fallen into our world?" She lets out a quiet scoff, more bewildered than dismissive. "Just when I thought exile couldn't get any stranger..."
The silence that follows gives Maureen a chance to notice the state of the diner. Chairs had been knocked over, half-finished meals still sat abandoned on the tables, and what should have been the busiest part of the afternoon had come to an abrupt end. She lets out a quiet sigh. "I think it's best if we close for now."
Walking over to the front door, she flips the sign to "Closed", locks it, and draws the blinds across the windows before returning to the dining room.
She leads them to one of the booths and looks back to Carlos with a small, reassuring smile. "Why don't we sit down? I think we'd all be more comfortable sitting than standing across the room from one another."
And after a brief hesitation, Babette reluctantly joins her but she never takes her eyes off Carlos.
Carlos stands still for a moment. Contemplating whether it was safer to run or to sit as the opportunity presented itself. But as his eyes returned to babette's, he sat down quite swiftly clearing his throat.
"Si... I have fallen from my world. I am not exactly sure how."
He then turns to the door, still curious about the running and the screaming.
"Is Ratkin not common here? I would have attempted a glamour, but It was a little too late..."
Babette doesn't look away as Carlos takes his seat. "Ratkin?" she repeats, the unfamiliar word rolling off her tongue with obvious skepticism. "No. This world has rats, but they're..." She gestures vaguely with one hand. "...rats." She studies him for another moment before leaning back in her seat. "If you'd walked in looking like an ordinary human, none of this would've happened."
Maureen glances toward the front of the diner, where the last traces of the lunch rush still lingered in the form of abandoned meals and overturned chairs. "People here aren't used to seeing someone who looks like you," she explains gently before turning her attention back to Carlos. "No one has ever seen anything like it before." She pauses, letting what he'd said settle in. "You said you've fallen from your world. Has anything like this ever happened before, or is this the first time?"
Carlos felt a little like he was being interrogated again and his ears flattened a bit. Whatever nerves he had being a spy for the Mudlarks seemed to be sapped away being interrogated by these two women. One who seemed... deeply supernatural. He answered the supernatural woman first and her Maureen second. It was... unnerving how similar she looked to the Maureen he knew. Yet her smell is different, and the lack of elf ears gave it away.
"Ratkin is what I am. If I had known I was transporting to this world, I would have put a... bit... more effort into my appearance. I... I can attempt to change it now if you would like, but it only lasts 3, maybe four hours for me."
He then turned to her Maureen.
"As far as I am aware, this is the first time. I have never heard of anyone being transported to other worlds. Maybe to other realms, but most do not return to confirm the myths and tales."
He glanced back at the supernatural woman, clearly mostly unnerved by her.
"If... if Ratkin are not a common species here, what are common species?"
"Humans," Babette answers simply. "And ordinary animals don't stand upright or talk." She gives a small shrug. "But you don't have to glamour yourself for our sake. I'm not human, you see, and neither is Maureen." She glances toward her wife. "Well... not anymore."
Maureen tucks a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. "For everyone else's sake, though, I do think a glamour would be wise." She folds her hands together on the table, her expression remaining gentle. "This world isn't a stranger to the supernatural or otherworldly creatures, but very few ever encounter it themselves. Most non-humans prefer to blend in, so seeing someone openly walking around in their true form tends to cause..." Her eyes drift briefly toward the abandoned tables before returning to Carlos with an apologetic smile. "...something like this."
Carlos quietly examined the tables strewn about. He genuinely felt quite bad for spooking everyone, and it began to creep into his expressions as he quietly turned to look at the table in front of him.
"I again... apologize for this. I did not mean to cause such... chaos."
He paused for a moment more before asking,
"I... am curious, how are you not human? You don't look any different to me... although you definitely smell different. Also, how do you keep up your glamours?"
Maureen gives him a small, reassuring smile when he apologizes again. "It's alright. You didn't mean for any of that to happen." She glances around the diner before looking back at him. "And honestly, I don't think anyone here was prepared to see a talking rat appear in the middle of lunch."
Babette folds her arms across her chest, looking Carlos over. "As for the glamour, it's not particularly difficult. All hellbournes and demons have a default human form when we manifest in the mortal realm. It's simply the form we naturally take here, so we don't immediately stand out." She gives a small shrug. "It's just something a demon of my status was born with."
Maureen rests her hands together on the table. "My situation is a little different. I was human once, but I died and ended up in Hell. I've been there long enough that I'm not exactly what I was when I was alive. Babette had to cast a spell just so I could look the way I do now."
Babette glances toward Maureen before looking back at Carlos. "Keeping a glamour in place isn't difficult once you're used to it. Ours can last for quite a while without needing much attention."
Maureen gives him another small smile. "If you need help figuring yours out, though, we'd be happy to help. If you're going to be staying here, it might make things easier for you."
Sometimes Maureen still can't believe how successful their diner had gotten. Balham has no shortage of places to eat, there's plenty of other diners and restaurants crammed along every street near the station, but somehow their diner had thrived, mostly because nowhere else in a five mile radius gives you this much food for this little money.
Every booth is full, there's a line building near the counter, and Maureen's in the middle of balancing two trays when the air in the room seems to shift, a crack, like the room itself hiccups, and standing in the middle of the diner is right between two occupied booths and in full view of everyone, is a creature about the height of a short human, standing upright, dressed in actual clothes, but unmistakably and undeniably a rat.
Maureen gapes at the creature. "What the fuck?"
Then someone screams, and that's all it takes for the whole diner to erupt into chaos. Chairs scrape back hard enough to topple, a drink goes crashing to the floor, and half-finished meals are abandoned as people scramble over each other to reach the door.
"Wait, please, there's no need to--"
Maureen starts, but her words are lost in the noise, swallowed by the sound of the bell above the door jangling over and over as people shove their way out.
And then the diner is empty, the door swinging shut behind the last customer and leaving the dining room in a mess of knocked over chairs and abandoned food.
The kitchen door bangs open a second later and Babette comes storming out. "What's with all the screaming? Did something happen, are you hurt, I--" Her question dies in her throat as her eyes land on what's standing in the middle of the room. "What the fuck?"
Carlos had just been running. Running away as fast as he could, trying, desperately, to survive, to do anything. And then he found himself in the midst of a diner filled with customers.
And as the room suddenly interrupted into chaos, he crouched down, trying to protect himself and his vial. The same vial that he began quietly praying to. That he wished hopelessly that this was just a dream. Muttering in Ratin to himself. However, as he opened his eyes once again, he looked up to find the last two people in the Diner staring at him.
"Eh...! I swear! I don't mean you any harm! I swear by the flow! Please!"
Carlos' ears flattened as his eyes darted to the exits, clearly he wanted out. But with the two women in between him and the exits, he simply continued to plead.
"Please. I swear! I will not harm a soul!"
His hands reach in front of him, attempting to channel the power of the Flow as he doesn't manage more than to conjure one tiny armored rat made out of water, which simply panics the rat more.
Babette steps in front of Maureen almost immediately, placing herself between her wife and the creature before fixing him with a hard stare. "Who are you?" she demands. "What do you want?" She falls silent for a moment, studying him more closely before her expression shifts into a frown. "…You taste strange." The words come out quieter this time, more to herself than anyone else. "You're not human, but you're not Hellborn either nor a damned." Her eyes narrow. "So where the fuck did you come from?" She doesn't move an inch from where she's standing. "I don't know what you want, but if you so much as harm my Maureen, I swear you'll regret it."
Maureen reaches up and rests a reassuring hand on Babette's shoulder. "It's okay, darling," she says gently, giving it a small squeeze before turning her attention back to the stranger. "You said you wouldn't harm a soul, didn't you?" she asks, keeping her voice calm. "I'd like to believe you. Can you tell us who you are… and where you came from?"
"Yes. Yes, of course. I... well. I will try to explain. My name is Carlos Huispas, I am a cleric to the flow. I... I swear, I have no clue how I got here. But I am certainly not from the hells or a damned."
Carlos hesitantly lowers his hands, Still keeping his head down low.
"I come from Donlon, I was... I was running from the black hole, and the next thing I knew, I was here... I swear on the flow I did not mean to frighten anyone, I wasn't even aware I could be here..."
Babette's expression doesn't soften, though the tension in her shoulders eases slightly as she listens to him. "Hmmm," she mutters, almost to herself. "You don't taste like you're lying." She folds her arms across her chest, still keeping herself between Carlos and Maureen. "I've never heard of Donlon, and I don't know what this 'Flow' is, but you're telling me you've somehow fallen into our world?" She lets out a quiet scoff, more bewildered than dismissive. "Just when I thought exile couldn't get any stranger..."
The silence that follows gives Maureen a chance to notice the state of the diner. Chairs had been knocked over, half-finished meals still sat abandoned on the tables, and what should have been the busiest part of the afternoon had come to an abrupt end. She lets out a quiet sigh. "I think it's best if we close for now."
Walking over to the front door, she flips the sign to "Closed", locks it, and draws the blinds across the windows before returning to the dining room.
She leads them to one of the booths and looks back to Carlos with a small, reassuring smile. "Why don't we sit down? I think we'd all be more comfortable sitting than standing across the room from one another."
And after a brief hesitation, Babette reluctantly joins her but she never takes her eyes off Carlos.
Carlos stands still for a moment. Contemplating whether it was safer to run or to sit as the opportunity presented itself. But as his eyes returned to babette's, he sat down quite swiftly clearing his throat.
"Si... I have fallen from my world. I am not exactly sure how."
He then turns to the door, still curious about the running and the screaming.
"Is Ratkin not common here? I would have attempted a glamour, but It was a little too late..."
Babette doesn't look away as Carlos takes his seat. "Ratkin?" she repeats, the unfamiliar word rolling off her tongue with obvious skepticism. "No. This world has rats, but they're..." She gestures vaguely with one hand. "...rats." She studies him for another moment before leaning back in her seat. "If you'd walked in looking like an ordinary human, none of this would've happened."
Maureen glances toward the front of the diner, where the last traces of the lunch rush still lingered in the form of abandoned meals and overturned chairs. "People here aren't used to seeing someone who looks like you," she explains gently before turning her attention back to Carlos. "No one has ever seen anything like it before." She pauses, letting what he'd said settle in. "You said you've fallen from your world. Has anything like this ever happened before, or is this the first time?"
Carlos felt a little like he was being interrogated again and his ears flattened a bit. Whatever nerves he had being a spy for the Mudlarks seemed to be sapped away being interrogated by these two women. One who seemed... deeply supernatural. He answered the supernatural woman first and her Maureen second. It was... unnerving how similar she looked to the Maureen he knew. Yet her smell is different, and the lack of elf ears gave it away.
"Ratkin is what I am. If I had known I was transporting to this world, I would have put a... bit... more effort into my appearance. I... I can attempt to change it now if you would like, but it only lasts 3, maybe four hours for me."
He then turned to her Maureen.
"As far as I am aware, this is the first time. I have never heard of anyone being transported to other worlds. Maybe to other realms, but most do not return to confirm the myths and tales."
He glanced back at the supernatural woman, clearly mostly unnerved by her.
"If... if Ratkin are not a common species here, what are common species?"
"Humans," Babette answers simply. "And ordinary animals don't stand upright or talk." She gives a small shrug. "But you don't have to glamour yourself for our sake. I'm not human, you see, and neither is Maureen." She glances toward her wife. "Well... not anymore."
Maureen tucks a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. "For everyone else's sake, though, I do think a glamour would be wise." She folds her hands together on the table, her expression remaining gentle. "This world isn't a stranger to the supernatural or otherworldly creatures, but very few ever encounter it themselves. Most non-humans prefer to blend in, so seeing someone openly walking around in their true form tends to cause..." Her eyes drift briefly toward the abandoned tables before returning to Carlos with an apologetic smile. "...something like this."
Sometimes Maureen still can't believe how successful their diner had gotten. Balham has no shortage of places to eat, there's plenty of other diners and restaurants crammed along every street near the station, but somehow their diner had thrived, mostly because nowhere else in a five mile radius gives you this much food for this little money.
Every booth is full, there's a line building near the counter, and Maureen's in the middle of balancing two trays when the air in the room seems to shift, a crack, like the room itself hiccups, and standing in the middle of the diner is right between two occupied booths and in full view of everyone, is a creature about the height of a short human, standing upright, dressed in actual clothes, but unmistakably and undeniably a rat.
Maureen gapes at the creature. "What the fuck?"
Then someone screams, and that's all it takes for the whole diner to erupt into chaos. Chairs scrape back hard enough to topple, a drink goes crashing to the floor, and half-finished meals are abandoned as people scramble over each other to reach the door.
"Wait, please, there's no need to--"
Maureen starts, but her words are lost in the noise, swallowed by the sound of the bell above the door jangling over and over as people shove their way out.
And then the diner is empty, the door swinging shut behind the last customer and leaving the dining room in a mess of knocked over chairs and abandoned food.
The kitchen door bangs open a second later and Babette comes storming out. "What's with all the screaming? Did something happen, are you hurt, I--" Her question dies in her throat as her eyes land on what's standing in the middle of the room. "What the fuck?"
Carlos had just been running. Running away as fast as he could, trying, desperately, to survive, to do anything. And then he found himself in the midst of a diner filled with customers.
And as the room suddenly interrupted into chaos, he crouched down, trying to protect himself and his vial. The same vial that he began quietly praying to. That he wished hopelessly that this was just a dream. Muttering in Ratin to himself. However, as he opened his eyes once again, he looked up to find the last two people in the Diner staring at him.
"Eh...! I swear! I don't mean you any harm! I swear by the flow! Please!"
Carlos' ears flattened as his eyes darted to the exits, clearly he wanted out. But with the two women in between him and the exits, he simply continued to plead.
"Please. I swear! I will not harm a soul!"
His hands reach in front of him, attempting to channel the power of the Flow as he doesn't manage more than to conjure one tiny armored rat made out of water, which simply panics the rat more.
Babette steps in front of Maureen almost immediately, placing herself between her wife and the creature before fixing him with a hard stare. "Who are you?" she demands. "What do you want?" She falls silent for a moment, studying him more closely before her expression shifts into a frown. "…You taste strange." The words come out quieter this time, more to herself than anyone else. "You're not human, but you're not Hellborn either nor a damned." Her eyes narrow. "So where the fuck did you come from?" She doesn't move an inch from where she's standing. "I don't know what you want, but if you so much as harm my Maureen, I swear you'll regret it."
Maureen reaches up and rests a reassuring hand on Babette's shoulder. "It's okay, darling," she says gently, giving it a small squeeze before turning her attention back to the stranger. "You said you wouldn't harm a soul, didn't you?" she asks, keeping her voice calm. "I'd like to believe you. Can you tell us who you are… and where you came from?"
"Yes. Yes, of course. I... well. I will try to explain. My name is Carlos Huispas, I am a cleric to the flow. I... I swear, I have no clue how I got here. But I am certainly not from the hells or a damned."
Carlos hesitantly lowers his hands, Still keeping his head down low.
"I come from Donlon, I was... I was running from the black hole, and the next thing I knew, I was here... I swear on the flow I did not mean to frighten anyone, I wasn't even aware I could be here..."
Babette's expression doesn't soften, though the tension in her shoulders eases slightly as she listens to him. "Hmmm," she mutters, almost to herself. "You don't taste like you're lying." She folds her arms across her chest, still keeping herself between Carlos and Maureen. "I've never heard of Donlon, and I don't know what this 'Flow' is, but you're telling me you've somehow fallen into our world?" She lets out a quiet scoff, more bewildered than dismissive. "Just when I thought exile couldn't get any stranger..."
The silence that follows gives Maureen a chance to notice the state of the diner. Chairs had been knocked over, half-finished meals still sat abandoned on the tables, and what should have been the busiest part of the afternoon had come to an abrupt end. She lets out a quiet sigh. "I think it's best if we close for now."
Walking over to the front door, she flips the sign to "Closed", locks it, and draws the blinds across the windows before returning to the dining room.
She leads them to one of the booths and looks back to Carlos with a small, reassuring smile. "Why don't we sit down? I think we'd all be more comfortable sitting than standing across the room from one another."
And after a brief hesitation, Babette reluctantly joins her but she never takes her eyes off Carlos.
Carlos stands still for a moment. Contemplating whether it was safer to run or to sit as the opportunity presented itself. But as his eyes returned to babette's, he sat down quite swiftly clearing his throat.
"Si... I have fallen from my world. I am not exactly sure how."
He then turns to the door, still curious about the running and the screaming.
"Is Ratkin not common here? I would have attempted a glamour, but It was a little too late..."
Babette doesn't look away as Carlos takes his seat. "Ratkin?" she repeats, the unfamiliar word rolling off her tongue with obvious skepticism. "No. This world has rats, but they're..." She gestures vaguely with one hand. "...rats." She studies him for another moment before leaning back in her seat. "If you'd walked in looking like an ordinary human, none of this would've happened."
Maureen glances toward the front of the diner, where the last traces of the lunch rush still lingered in the form of abandoned meals and overturned chairs. "People here aren't used to seeing someone who looks like you," she explains gently before turning her attention back to Carlos. "No one has ever seen anything like it before." She pauses, letting what he'd said settle in. "You said you've fallen from your world. Has anything like this ever happened before, or is this the first time?"
Sometimes Maureen still can't believe how successful their diner had gotten. Balham has no shortage of places to eat, there's plenty of other diners and restaurants crammed along every street near the station, but somehow their diner had thrived, mostly because nowhere else in a five mile radius gives you this much food for this little money.
Every booth is full, there's a line building near the counter, and Maureen's in the middle of balancing two trays when the air in the room seems to shift, a crack, like the room itself hiccups, and standing in the middle of the diner is right between two occupied booths and in full view of everyone, is a creature about the height of a short human, standing upright, dressed in actual clothes, but unmistakably and undeniably a rat.
Maureen gapes at the creature. "What the fuck?"
Then someone screams, and that's all it takes for the whole diner to erupt into chaos. Chairs scrape back hard enough to topple, a drink goes crashing to the floor, and half-finished meals are abandoned as people scramble over each other to reach the door.
"Wait, please, there's no need to--"
Maureen starts, but her words are lost in the noise, swallowed by the sound of the bell above the door jangling over and over as people shove their way out.
And then the diner is empty, the door swinging shut behind the last customer and leaving the dining room in a mess of knocked over chairs and abandoned food.
The kitchen door bangs open a second later and Babette comes storming out. "What's with all the screaming? Did something happen, are you hurt, I--" Her question dies in her throat as her eyes land on what's standing in the middle of the room. "What the fuck?"
Carlos had just been running. Running away as fast as he could, trying, desperately, to survive, to do anything. And then he found himself in the midst of a diner filled with customers.
And as the room suddenly interrupted into chaos, he crouched down, trying to protect himself and his vial. The same vial that he began quietly praying to. That he wished hopelessly that this was just a dream. Muttering in Ratin to himself. However, as he opened his eyes once again, he looked up to find the last two people in the Diner staring at him.
"Eh...! I swear! I don't mean you any harm! I swear by the flow! Please!"
Carlos' ears flattened as his eyes darted to the exits, clearly he wanted out. But with the two women in between him and the exits, he simply continued to plead.
"Please. I swear! I will not harm a soul!"
His hands reach in front of him, attempting to channel the power of the Flow as he doesn't manage more than to conjure one tiny armored rat made out of water, which simply panics the rat more.
Babette steps in front of Maureen almost immediately, placing herself between her wife and the creature before fixing him with a hard stare. "Who are you?" she demands. "What do you want?" She falls silent for a moment, studying him more closely before her expression shifts into a frown. "…You taste strange." The words come out quieter this time, more to herself than anyone else. "You're not human, but you're not Hellborn either nor a damned." Her eyes narrow. "So where the fuck did you come from?" She doesn't move an inch from where she's standing. "I don't know what you want, but if you so much as harm my Maureen, I swear you'll regret it."
Maureen reaches up and rests a reassuring hand on Babette's shoulder. "It's okay, darling," she says gently, giving it a small squeeze before turning her attention back to the stranger. "You said you wouldn't harm a soul, didn't you?" she asks, keeping her voice calm. "I'd like to believe you. Can you tell us who you are… and where you came from?"
"Yes. Yes, of course. I... well. I will try to explain. My name is Carlos Huispas, I am a cleric to the flow. I... I swear, I have no clue how I got here. But I am certainly not from the hells or a damned."
Carlos hesitantly lowers his hands, Still keeping his head down low.
"I come from Donlon, I was... I was running from the black hole, and the next thing I knew, I was here... I swear on the flow I did not mean to frighten anyone, I wasn't even aware I could be here..."
Babette's expression doesn't soften, though the tension in her shoulders eases slightly as she listens to him. "Hmmm," she mutters, almost to herself. "You don't taste like you're lying." She folds her arms across her chest, still keeping herself between Carlos and Maureen. "I've never heard of Donlon, and I don't know what this 'Flow' is, but you're telling me you've somehow fallen into our world?" She lets out a quiet scoff, more bewildered than dismissive. "Just when I thought exile couldn't get any stranger..."
The silence that follows gives Maureen a chance to notice the state of the diner. Chairs had been knocked over, half-finished meals still sat abandoned on the tables, and what should have been the busiest part of the afternoon had come to an abrupt end. She lets out a quiet sigh. "I think it's best if we close for now."
Walking over to the front door, she flips the sign to "Closed", locks it, and draws the blinds across the windows before returning to the dining room.
She leads them to one of the booths and looks back to Carlos with a small, reassuring smile. "Why don't we sit down? I think we'd all be more comfortable sitting than standing across the room from one another."
And after a brief hesitation, Babette reluctantly joins her but she never takes her eyes off Carlos.
Sometimes Maureen still can't believe how successful their diner had gotten. Balham has no shortage of places to eat, there's plenty of other diners and restaurants crammed along every street near the station, but somehow their diner had thrived, mostly because nowhere else in a five mile radius gives you this much food for this little money.
Every booth is full, there's a line building near the counter, and Maureen's in the middle of balancing two trays when the air in the room seems to shift, a crack, like the room itself hiccups, and standing in the middle of the diner is right between two occupied booths and in full view of everyone, is a creature about the height of a short human, standing upright, dressed in actual clothes, but unmistakably and undeniably a rat.
Maureen gapes at the creature. "What the fuck?"
Then someone screams, and that's all it takes for the whole diner to erupt into chaos. Chairs scrape back hard enough to topple, a drink goes crashing to the floor, and half-finished meals are abandoned as people scramble over each other to reach the door.
"Wait, please, there's no need to--"
Maureen starts, but her words are lost in the noise, swallowed by the sound of the bell above the door jangling over and over as people shove their way out.
And then the diner is empty, the door swinging shut behind the last customer and leaving the dining room in a mess of knocked over chairs and abandoned food.
The kitchen door bangs open a second later and Babette comes storming out. "What's with all the screaming? Did something happen, are you hurt, I--" Her question dies in her throat as her eyes land on what's standing in the middle of the room. "What the fuck?"
Carlos had just been running. Running away as fast as he could, trying, desperately, to survive, to do anything. And then he found himself in the midst of a diner filled with customers.
And as the room suddenly interrupted into chaos, he crouched down, trying to protect himself and his vial. The same vial that he began quietly praying to. That he wished hopelessly that this was just a dream. Muttering in Ratin to himself. However, as he opened his eyes once again, he looked up to find the last two people in the Diner staring at him.
"Eh...! I swear! I don't mean you any harm! I swear by the flow! Please!"
Carlos' ears flattened as his eyes darted to the exits, clearly he wanted out. But with the two women in between him and the exits, he simply continued to plead.
"Please. I swear! I will not harm a soul!"
His hands reach in front of him, attempting to channel the power of the Flow as he doesn't manage more than to conjure one tiny armored rat made out of water, which simply panics the rat more.
Babette steps in front of Maureen almost immediately, placing herself between her wife and the creature before fixing him with a hard stare. "Who are you?" she demands. "What do you want?" She falls silent for a moment, studying him more closely before her expression shifts into a frown. "…You taste strange." The words come out quieter this time, more to herself than anyone else. "You're not human, but you're not Hellborn either nor a damned." Her eyes narrow. "So where the fuck did you come from?" She doesn't move an inch from where she's standing. "I don't know what you want, but if you so much as harm my Maureen, I swear you'll regret it."
Maureen reaches up and rests a reassuring hand on Babette's shoulder. "It's okay, darling," she says gently, giving it a small squeeze before turning her attention back to the stranger. "You said you wouldn't harm a soul, didn't you?" she asks, keeping her voice calm. "I'd like to believe you. Can you tell us who you are… and where you came from?"
Sometimes Maureen still can't believe how successful their diner had gotten. Balham has no shortage of places to eat, there's plenty of other diners and restaurants crammed along every street near the station, but somehow their diner had thrived, mostly because nowhere else in a five mile radius gives you this much food for this little money.
Every booth is full, there's a line building near the counter, and Maureen's in the middle of balancing two trays when the air in the room seems to shift, a crack, like the room itself hiccups, and standing in the middle of the diner is right between two occupied booths and in full view of everyone, is a creature about the height of a short human, standing upright, dressed in actual clothes, but unmistakably and undeniably a rat.
Maureen gapes at the creature. "What the fuck?"
Then someone screams, and that's all it takes for the whole diner to erupt into chaos. Chairs scrape back hard enough to topple, a drink goes crashing to the floor, and half-finished meals are abandoned as people scramble over each other to reach the door.
"Wait, please, there's no need to--"
Maureen starts, but her words are lost in the noise, swallowed by the sound of the bell above the door jangling over and over as people shove their way out.
And then the diner is empty, the door swinging shut behind the last customer and leaving the dining room in a mess of knocked over chairs and abandoned food.
The kitchen door bangs open a second later and Babette comes storming out. "What's with all the screaming? Did something happen, are you hurt, I--" Her question dies in her throat as her eyes land on what's standing in the middle of the room. "What the fuck?"
A panicked looking man enters the establishment, a deep frown on his face. He’s holding a phone near his face, putting whoever is on the other end on speaker.
“Hi, I’m so sorry for the disturbance, but I’ve been told here’s where I can get huge portions of food?”
“NATHAN!!! ASK IF THEY HAVE VEGAN OPTIONS!”
He glances in a panic at his phone, hissing into the device — “Yes—I’m getting there…give me a minute, please, Headmaster…” He glances up, looking incredibly apologetic. “I’m hanging up, I’m looking for dietary options—“
“DESSERTS! NON MELTABLE DESSERTS! PLEASE HURRY!—“
“—I’m getting there!” He hangs up, running a distressed hand through his hair. Pocketing his phone, he casts a glance at the menu. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be a bother—I work at the school a few blocks away? There was supposed to be, like, a Children’s Day celebration, or something? Um, so, something happened, and the vendors can’t come, and now I have primary school kids gnawing at my ankles because they’re hungry as hell…”
He looks up, inhaling sharply, “Um, so, I was wondering, could i get an order of a hundred veggie burgers, but without the buns, a whole pancake tower, a bunch of your classic cheeseburgers — no, scratch that, change the cheeseburgers for The Big One, and, uhhh, Onion Rings, Sweet Potato Mash, Cornbread, and, like…do you have gluten free options? There are like, two kids with celiac…and, if you could, some Diet Soda, along with those buckets of soda?” He pauses, inhaling. “Oh, also, Churros and Doughnuts. A-and, it’s fine if you don’t have gluten free stuff — I’ll figure something out…”
He stares at his shoes guiltily. “The traffic disturbance was my fault, anyway.” He whispers to himself.
@deputyhead-lollipop
Maureen is behind the counter when the door opens, going over the menus while Babette lingers nearby, bored by how quiet the diner has been.
When Nathan comes in with his phone still in hand, Maureen looks up first. Her attention goes to his face, then to the phone, and then back to him as he starts explaining what happened.
Babette listens from where she is, not looking especially interested at first.
Then he starts listing the order.
The more he says, the more Babette’s expression changes. By the time he gets to a hundred veggie burgers and the pancake tower, she is already stepping closer, her eyes bright with excitement.
"One hundred veggie burgers?" she repeats, leaning in with a wide smile. "And the Big One?"
Maureen smiles at Babette’s reaction before looking back to Nathan. "We can do vegan, yes. Gluten-free as well. The celiac meals will be prepared separately."
Babette is still focused on the order. "Onion rings, sweet potato mash, cornbread, buckets of soda, churros, doughnuts…" Her grin is wider than it's ever been "Oh, you wonderful man."
Maureen reaches for a notepad, still smiling. "Go make the food, love."
Babette turns toward the kitchen at once.
"With pleasure."
Maureen watches Babette before turning to gesture toward one of the booths. "Please, have a seat. I’ll write everything down properly and make sure we have the dietary restrictions right."
Nathan nods with thanks, inhaling slowly as he feels himself calm down. “Oh, thank you. You have no idea how big of a help this is—no, seriously, I really was deep up to my knees in shit…I mean, I knew how grumpy a kid could be when they didn’t get food, but when it’s like—a thousand kids, it’s honestly…” he pauses, staring at the ground in horror. “Yeah.”
He sits down, watching as the women work, feeling a sense of calm, that his own personal hell might be over. Mindlessly, as he watches them, his fingers drumming quietly against the table, his fingers begin to itch and they begin to do something else, dragging themselves over the material to draw something as his stare goes impossibly blank. It doesn’t make a mark in the table, but he’s drawn into some sort of stupor, his eye line shifting to whatever he’s invisibly marking on the table.
Maureen gives him a polite smile once he thanks her. "You’re welcome. I think anyone would be overwhelmed with that many children waiting to be fed."
She notices that he still seems a little distracted, and she keeps her voice gentle rather than pushing him too hard. "If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to the vendors? It sounds like a lot went wrong at once."
Nathan looks up, startled out of his stupor. “I—what? What—oh, oh, the vendors. Right…” He stares at the table, then exhales slowly. “Might’ve been…no, yeah, it was probably totally my fault.”
He presses the heel of his palms against his eyes. “I mean, they fired the old lollipop lady for violence, so by right I shouldn’t have rammed my lollipop into that Tesla’s hood—and now some of the vendors food trucks are on fire, or—or…I mean, honestly I kind of blanked out the whole endeavour with how panicked I was…”
he frowns, his brow creasing deeply. “Maybe he shouldn’t have been driving a 50 in a school zone. Big red sign says “20”, and the guy’s clearly never been in school to read before…I mean, my priority is the children…but yeah, I might have accidentally caused a massive fire with…one…or, two…just—you know, maybe three…vehicles—but no one died!” He adds, his eyes wide. “They’ve just gone to the hospital…and they’re all minor burns…that’s what the Headmaster said. I hope Tesla guy got worse—I don’t even know where the neighbourhood is getting these—uh—but they’re all minor burns! I didn’t break anyone’s back!”
he pauses. “Though. Maybe that’s not the standard I really should be setting…I’m no better at this than Mrs Elmsbridge…I mean, she would’ve known what to do. And maybe do it better…and with less…fire.” He stares at the table quietly. “I don’t even know. I said I’d take up this duty and I should’ve done it better or found a better way to deal with this—turns out I also like sticking my lollipop into cars that decide to ignore school zones.”
he stares at his hands, horrified. “I think I should stop talking now.”
Nathan stares at the table, contemplating in silence. He looks up, and shrugs. “I mean…I guess you’re right. The children are safe, and they’re going to be fed later…I suppose that’s all that matters…”
He stares at the table. “Yeah. Yeah, she had it pretty rough. Had to go about her job after losing her son…she probably felt like it was the only thing that gave her a purpose…then we fired her—and then she sort of…caused a couple of car accidents with the kids… sometimes, I think maybe….what if we hadn’t fired her? What if we gave her a bit more time to grieve…and move on…her own way? At her own pace. Maybe none of the—stuff—would’ve—you know.” He gestures loosely to the air.
he leans back, sighing. “Sorry you have to hear this heavy stuff. But, um, thank you for listening, too. Thank you for doing this. Seriously. You’re a life saver and you have no idea how much I’m grateful for your help.”
He digs out his wallet. “How much do I owe you again? I’ll pay up now.”
Maureen listens without rushing to answer. She can see why he blames himself, but there is no way to prove the day would have gone better if he had made a different choice.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps something else would have happened instead. It’s difficult to know."
At his thanks, some of the seriousness eases from her face.
"You’re very welcome. And please don’t apologise. Everyone needs someone to listen now and then."
Her attention moves to his wallet when he reaches for it.
Nathan digs out a fifty from his wallet, handing it to her. “Wow. That’s…pretty cool. Fifty for all that food, I mean…wow.” He smiles gratefully as he shifts in his seat, his gaze moving back to the table.
“If the kids ever need a bunch of food again, I’ll be sure to come here next time. This place is pretty cool to accommodate us.”
"We’d be happy to have you back," she says. "Though for your sake, I hope the next visit comes under slightly less stressful circumstances."
The mention of the children coming back for food again earns a small smile from her. "And I’m sure Babette would be delighted to hear that. She does enjoy feeding people."
Before she can say anything more, Babette comes out from the kitchen pushing a loaded service cart in front of her. Bags, boxes, trays, and drink carriers are packed onto it in neat stacks, ready to be taken out. The gluten-free meals are kept separate and labelled clearly, and the rest of the order has been packed together by type.
Babette stops the cart beside them and looks over the amount of food with obvious satisfaction.
"There. That's enough for the children, the teachers, and anyone else with sense enough to eat. If they leave hungry, that is their failure, not mine."
Maureen offers Nathan a smile, "We really appreciate your coming here and choosing us."
A panicked looking man enters the establishment, a deep frown on his face. He’s holding a phone near his face, putting whoever is on the other end on speaker.
“Hi, I’m so sorry for the disturbance, but I’ve been told here’s where I can get huge portions of food?”
“NATHAN!!! ASK IF THEY HAVE VEGAN OPTIONS!”
He glances in a panic at his phone, hissing into the device — “Yes—I’m getting there…give me a minute, please, Headmaster…” He glances up, looking incredibly apologetic. “I’m hanging up, I’m looking for dietary options—“
“DESSERTS! NON MELTABLE DESSERTS! PLEASE HURRY!—“
“—I’m getting there!” He hangs up, running a distressed hand through his hair. Pocketing his phone, he casts a glance at the menu. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be a bother—I work at the school a few blocks away? There was supposed to be, like, a Children’s Day celebration, or something? Um, so, something happened, and the vendors can’t come, and now I have primary school kids gnawing at my ankles because they’re hungry as hell…”
He looks up, inhaling sharply, “Um, so, I was wondering, could i get an order of a hundred veggie burgers, but without the buns, a whole pancake tower, a bunch of your classic cheeseburgers — no, scratch that, change the cheeseburgers for The Big One, and, uhhh, Onion Rings, Sweet Potato Mash, Cornbread, and, like…do you have gluten free options? There are like, two kids with celiac…and, if you could, some Diet Soda, along with those buckets of soda?” He pauses, inhaling. “Oh, also, Churros and Doughnuts. A-and, it’s fine if you don’t have gluten free stuff — I’ll figure something out…”
He stares at his shoes guiltily. “The traffic disturbance was my fault, anyway.” He whispers to himself.
@deputyhead-lollipop
Maureen is behind the counter when the door opens, going over the menus while Babette lingers nearby, bored by how quiet the diner has been.
When Nathan comes in with his phone still in hand, Maureen looks up first. Her attention goes to his face, then to the phone, and then back to him as he starts explaining what happened.
Babette listens from where she is, not looking especially interested at first.
Then he starts listing the order.
The more he says, the more Babette’s expression changes. By the time he gets to a hundred veggie burgers and the pancake tower, she is already stepping closer, her eyes bright with excitement.
"One hundred veggie burgers?" she repeats, leaning in with a wide smile. "And the Big One?"
Maureen smiles at Babette’s reaction before looking back to Nathan. "We can do vegan, yes. Gluten-free as well. The celiac meals will be prepared separately."
Babette is still focused on the order. "Onion rings, sweet potato mash, cornbread, buckets of soda, churros, doughnuts…" Her grin is wider than it's ever been "Oh, you wonderful man."
Maureen reaches for a notepad, still smiling. "Go make the food, love."
Babette turns toward the kitchen at once.
"With pleasure."
Maureen watches Babette before turning to gesture toward one of the booths. "Please, have a seat. I’ll write everything down properly and make sure we have the dietary restrictions right."
Nathan nods with thanks, inhaling slowly as he feels himself calm down. “Oh, thank you. You have no idea how big of a help this is—no, seriously, I really was deep up to my knees in shit…I mean, I knew how grumpy a kid could be when they didn’t get food, but when it’s like—a thousand kids, it’s honestly…” he pauses, staring at the ground in horror. “Yeah.”
He sits down, watching as the women work, feeling a sense of calm, that his own personal hell might be over. Mindlessly, as he watches them, his fingers drumming quietly against the table, his fingers begin to itch and they begin to do something else, dragging themselves over the material to draw something as his stare goes impossibly blank. It doesn’t make a mark in the table, but he’s drawn into some sort of stupor, his eye line shifting to whatever he’s invisibly marking on the table.
Maureen gives him a polite smile once he thanks her. "You’re welcome. I think anyone would be overwhelmed with that many children waiting to be fed."
She notices that he still seems a little distracted, and she keeps her voice gentle rather than pushing him too hard. "If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to the vendors? It sounds like a lot went wrong at once."
Nathan looks up, startled out of his stupor. “I—what? What—oh, oh, the vendors. Right…” He stares at the table, then exhales slowly. “Might’ve been…no, yeah, it was probably totally my fault.”
He presses the heel of his palms against his eyes. “I mean, they fired the old lollipop lady for violence, so by right I shouldn’t have rammed my lollipop into that Tesla’s hood—and now some of the vendors food trucks are on fire, or—or…I mean, honestly I kind of blanked out the whole endeavour with how panicked I was…”
he frowns, his brow creasing deeply. “Maybe he shouldn’t have been driving a 50 in a school zone. Big red sign says “20”, and the guy’s clearly never been in school to read before…I mean, my priority is the children…but yeah, I might have accidentally caused a massive fire with…one…or, two…just—you know, maybe three…vehicles—but no one died!” He adds, his eyes wide. “They’ve just gone to the hospital…and they’re all minor burns…that’s what the Headmaster said. I hope Tesla guy got worse—I don’t even know where the neighbourhood is getting these—uh—but they’re all minor burns! I didn’t break anyone’s back!”
he pauses. “Though. Maybe that’s not the standard I really should be setting…I’m no better at this than Mrs Elmsbridge…I mean, she would’ve known what to do. And maybe do it better…and with less…fire.” He stares at the table quietly. “I don’t even know. I said I’d take up this duty and I should’ve done it better or found a better way to deal with this—turns out I also like sticking my lollipop into cars that decide to ignore school zones.”
he stares at his hands, horrified. “I think I should stop talking now.”
Nathan stares at the table, contemplating in silence. He looks up, and shrugs. “I mean…I guess you’re right. The children are safe, and they’re going to be fed later…I suppose that’s all that matters…”
He stares at the table. “Yeah. Yeah, she had it pretty rough. Had to go about her job after losing her son…she probably felt like it was the only thing that gave her a purpose…then we fired her—and then she sort of…caused a couple of car accidents with the kids… sometimes, I think maybe….what if we hadn’t fired her? What if we gave her a bit more time to grieve…and move on…her own way? At her own pace. Maybe none of the—stuff—would’ve—you know.” He gestures loosely to the air.
he leans back, sighing. “Sorry you have to hear this heavy stuff. But, um, thank you for listening, too. Thank you for doing this. Seriously. You’re a life saver and you have no idea how much I’m grateful for your help.”
He digs out his wallet. “How much do I owe you again? I’ll pay up now.”
Maureen listens without rushing to answer. She can see why he blames himself, but there is no way to prove the day would have gone better if he had made a different choice.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps something else would have happened instead. It’s difficult to know."
At his thanks, some of the seriousness eases from her face.
"You’re very welcome. And please don’t apologise. Everyone needs someone to listen now and then."
Her attention moves to his wallet when he reaches for it.
A panicked looking man enters the establishment, a deep frown on his face. He’s holding a phone near his face, putting whoever is on the other end on speaker.
“Hi, I’m so sorry for the disturbance, but I’ve been told here’s where I can get huge portions of food?”
“NATHAN!!! ASK IF THEY HAVE VEGAN OPTIONS!”
He glances in a panic at his phone, hissing into the device — “Yes—I’m getting there…give me a minute, please, Headmaster…” He glances up, looking incredibly apologetic. “I’m hanging up, I’m looking for dietary options—“
“DESSERTS! NON MELTABLE DESSERTS! PLEASE HURRY!—“
“—I’m getting there!” He hangs up, running a distressed hand through his hair. Pocketing his phone, he casts a glance at the menu. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be a bother—I work at the school a few blocks away? There was supposed to be, like, a Children’s Day celebration, or something? Um, so, something happened, and the vendors can’t come, and now I have primary school kids gnawing at my ankles because they’re hungry as hell…”
He looks up, inhaling sharply, “Um, so, I was wondering, could i get an order of a hundred veggie burgers, but without the buns, a whole pancake tower, a bunch of your classic cheeseburgers — no, scratch that, change the cheeseburgers for The Big One, and, uhhh, Onion Rings, Sweet Potato Mash, Cornbread, and, like…do you have gluten free options? There are like, two kids with celiac…and, if you could, some Diet Soda, along with those buckets of soda?” He pauses, inhaling. “Oh, also, Churros and Doughnuts. A-and, it’s fine if you don’t have gluten free stuff — I’ll figure something out…”
He stares at his shoes guiltily. “The traffic disturbance was my fault, anyway.” He whispers to himself.
@deputyhead-lollipop
Maureen is behind the counter when the door opens, going over the menus while Babette lingers nearby, bored by how quiet the diner has been.
When Nathan comes in with his phone still in hand, Maureen looks up first. Her attention goes to his face, then to the phone, and then back to him as he starts explaining what happened.
Babette listens from where she is, not looking especially interested at first.
Then he starts listing the order.
The more he says, the more Babette’s expression changes. By the time he gets to a hundred veggie burgers and the pancake tower, she is already stepping closer, her eyes bright with excitement.
"One hundred veggie burgers?" she repeats, leaning in with a wide smile. "And the Big One?"
Maureen smiles at Babette’s reaction before looking back to Nathan. "We can do vegan, yes. Gluten-free as well. The celiac meals will be prepared separately."
Babette is still focused on the order. "Onion rings, sweet potato mash, cornbread, buckets of soda, churros, doughnuts…" Her grin is wider than it's ever been "Oh, you wonderful man."
Maureen reaches for a notepad, still smiling. "Go make the food, love."
Babette turns toward the kitchen at once.
"With pleasure."
Maureen watches Babette before turning to gesture toward one of the booths. "Please, have a seat. I’ll write everything down properly and make sure we have the dietary restrictions right."
Nathan nods with thanks, inhaling slowly as he feels himself calm down. “Oh, thank you. You have no idea how big of a help this is—no, seriously, I really was deep up to my knees in shit…I mean, I knew how grumpy a kid could be when they didn’t get food, but when it’s like—a thousand kids, it’s honestly…” he pauses, staring at the ground in horror. “Yeah.”
He sits down, watching as the women work, feeling a sense of calm, that his own personal hell might be over. Mindlessly, as he watches them, his fingers drumming quietly against the table, his fingers begin to itch and they begin to do something else, dragging themselves over the material to draw something as his stare goes impossibly blank. It doesn’t make a mark in the table, but he’s drawn into some sort of stupor, his eye line shifting to whatever he’s invisibly marking on the table.
Maureen gives him a polite smile once he thanks her. "You’re welcome. I think anyone would be overwhelmed with that many children waiting to be fed."
She notices that he still seems a little distracted, and she keeps her voice gentle rather than pushing him too hard. "If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to the vendors? It sounds like a lot went wrong at once."
Nathan looks up, startled out of his stupor. “I—what? What—oh, oh, the vendors. Right…” He stares at the table, then exhales slowly. “Might’ve been…no, yeah, it was probably totally my fault.”
He presses the heel of his palms against his eyes. “I mean, they fired the old lollipop lady for violence, so by right I shouldn’t have rammed my lollipop into that Tesla’s hood—and now some of the vendors food trucks are on fire, or—or…I mean, honestly I kind of blanked out the whole endeavour with how panicked I was…”
he frowns, his brow creasing deeply. “Maybe he shouldn’t have been driving a 50 in a school zone. Big red sign says “20”, and the guy’s clearly never been in school to read before…I mean, my priority is the children…but yeah, I might have accidentally caused a massive fire with…one…or, two…just—you know, maybe three…vehicles—but no one died!” He adds, his eyes wide. “They’ve just gone to the hospital…and they’re all minor burns…that’s what the Headmaster said. I hope Tesla guy got worse—I don’t even know where the neighbourhood is getting these—uh—but they’re all minor burns! I didn’t break anyone’s back!”
he pauses. “Though. Maybe that’s not the standard I really should be setting…I’m no better at this than Mrs Elmsbridge…I mean, she would’ve known what to do. And maybe do it better…and with less…fire.” He stares at the table quietly. “I don’t even know. I said I’d take up this duty and I should’ve done it better or found a better way to deal with this—turns out I also like sticking my lollipop into cars that decide to ignore school zones.”
he stares at his hands, horrified. “I think I should stop talking now.”
A panicked looking man enters the establishment, a deep frown on his face. He’s holding a phone near his face, putting whoever is on the other end on speaker.
“Hi, I’m so sorry for the disturbance, but I’ve been told here’s where I can get huge portions of food?”
“NATHAN!!! ASK IF THEY HAVE VEGAN OPTIONS!”
He glances in a panic at his phone, hissing into the device — “Yes—I’m getting there…give me a minute, please, Headmaster…” He glances up, looking incredibly apologetic. “I’m hanging up, I’m looking for dietary options—“
“DESSERTS! NON MELTABLE DESSERTS! PLEASE HURRY!—“
“—I’m getting there!” He hangs up, running a distressed hand through his hair. Pocketing his phone, he casts a glance at the menu. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be a bother—I work at the school a few blocks away? There was supposed to be, like, a Children’s Day celebration, or something? Um, so, something happened, and the vendors can’t come, and now I have primary school kids gnawing at my ankles because they’re hungry as hell…”
He looks up, inhaling sharply, “Um, so, I was wondering, could i get an order of a hundred veggie burgers, but without the buns, a whole pancake tower, a bunch of your classic cheeseburgers — no, scratch that, change the cheeseburgers for The Big One, and, uhhh, Onion Rings, Sweet Potato Mash, Cornbread, and, like…do you have gluten free options? There are like, two kids with celiac…and, if you could, some Diet Soda, along with those buckets of soda?” He pauses, inhaling. “Oh, also, Churros and Doughnuts. A-and, it’s fine if you don’t have gluten free stuff — I’ll figure something out…”
He stares at his shoes guiltily. “The traffic disturbance was my fault, anyway.” He whispers to himself.
@deputyhead-lollipop
Maureen is behind the counter when the door opens, going over the menus while Babette lingers nearby, bored by how quiet the diner has been.
When Nathan comes in with his phone still in hand, Maureen looks up first. Her attention goes to his face, then to the phone, and then back to him as he starts explaining what happened.
Babette listens from where she is, not looking especially interested at first.
Then he starts listing the order.
The more he says, the more Babette’s expression changes. By the time he gets to a hundred veggie burgers and the pancake tower, she is already stepping closer, her eyes bright with excitement.
"One hundred veggie burgers?" she repeats, leaning in with a wide smile. "And the Big One?"
Maureen smiles at Babette’s reaction before looking back to Nathan. "We can do vegan, yes. Gluten-free as well. The celiac meals will be prepared separately."
Babette is still focused on the order. "Onion rings, sweet potato mash, cornbread, buckets of soda, churros, doughnuts…" Her grin is wider than it's ever been "Oh, you wonderful man."
Maureen reaches for a notepad, still smiling. "Go make the food, love."
Babette turns toward the kitchen at once.
"With pleasure."
Maureen watches Babette before turning to gesture toward one of the booths. "Please, have a seat. I’ll write everything down properly and make sure we have the dietary restrictions right."
Nathan nods with thanks, inhaling slowly as he feels himself calm down. “Oh, thank you. You have no idea how big of a help this is—no, seriously, I really was deep up to my knees in shit…I mean, I knew how grumpy a kid could be when they didn’t get food, but when it’s like—a thousand kids, it’s honestly…” he pauses, staring at the ground in horror. “Yeah.”
He sits down, watching as the women work, feeling a sense of calm, that his own personal hell might be over. Mindlessly, as he watches them, his fingers drumming quietly against the table, his fingers begin to itch and they begin to do something else, dragging themselves over the material to draw something as his stare goes impossibly blank. It doesn’t make a mark in the table, but he’s drawn into some sort of stupor, his eye line shifting to whatever he’s invisibly marking on the table.
Maureen gives him a polite smile once he thanks her. "You’re welcome. I think anyone would be overwhelmed with that many children waiting to be fed."
She notices that he still seems a little distracted, and she keeps her voice gentle rather than pushing him too hard. "If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to the vendors? It sounds like a lot went wrong at once."
A panicked looking man enters the establishment, a deep frown on his face. He’s holding a phone near his face, putting whoever is on the other end on speaker.
“Hi, I’m so sorry for the disturbance, but I’ve been told here’s where I can get huge portions of food?”
“NATHAN!!! ASK IF THEY HAVE VEGAN OPTIONS!”
He glances in a panic at his phone, hissing into the device — “Yes—I’m getting there…give me a minute, please, Headmaster…” He glances up, looking incredibly apologetic. “I’m hanging up, I’m looking for dietary options—“
“DESSERTS! NON MELTABLE DESSERTS! PLEASE HURRY!—“
“—I’m getting there!” He hangs up, running a distressed hand through his hair. Pocketing his phone, he casts a glance at the menu. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be a bother—I work at the school a few blocks away? There was supposed to be, like, a Children’s Day celebration, or something? Um, so, something happened, and the vendors can’t come, and now I have primary school kids gnawing at my ankles because they’re hungry as hell…”
He looks up, inhaling sharply, “Um, so, I was wondering, could i get an order of a hundred veggie burgers, but without the buns, a whole pancake tower, a bunch of your classic cheeseburgers — no, scratch that, change the cheeseburgers for The Big One, and, uhhh, Onion Rings, Sweet Potato Mash, Cornbread, and, like…do you have gluten free options? There are like, two kids with celiac…and, if you could, some Diet Soda, along with those buckets of soda?” He pauses, inhaling. “Oh, also, Churros and Doughnuts. A-and, it’s fine if you don’t have gluten free stuff — I’ll figure something out…”
He stares at his shoes guiltily. “The traffic disturbance was my fault, anyway.” He whispers to himself.
@deputyhead-lollipop
Maureen is behind the counter when the door opens, going over the menus while Babette lingers nearby, bored by how quiet the diner has been.
When Nathan comes in with his phone still in hand, Maureen looks up first. Her attention goes to his face, then to the phone, and then back to him as he starts explaining what happened.
Babette listens from where she is, not looking especially interested at first.
Then he starts listing the order.
The more he says, the more Babette’s expression changes. By the time he gets to a hundred veggie burgers and the pancake tower, she is already stepping closer, her eyes bright with excitement.
"One hundred veggie burgers?" she repeats, leaning in with a wide smile. "And the Big One?"
Maureen smiles at Babette’s reaction before looking back to Nathan. "We can do vegan, yes. Gluten-free as well. The celiac meals will be prepared separately."
Babette is still focused on the order. "Onion rings, sweet potato mash, cornbread, buckets of soda, churros, doughnuts…" Her grin is wider than it's ever been "Oh, you wonderful man."
Maureen reaches for a notepad, still smiling. "Go make the food, love."
Babette turns toward the kitchen at once.
"With pleasure."
Maureen watches Babette before turning to gesture toward one of the booths. "Please, have a seat. I’ll write everything down properly and make sure we have the dietary restrictions right."
*Twig walks into the establishment, limping, covered in cuts and bruises, a sort of distant look in their eyes*
Mmm…. Maureen….?
*they look around, scared*
- @twig-the-little-fella
Maureen quicky looks up when she sees Twig arrive, a look of concern crossing her when she sees the state the creature is in. "Oh my goodness." she rushes towards them. "What happened? Are you alright?" She shakes her head at the stupid question. "Who--what did this to you?"
The concern deepens as she crouches over their leg, studying it. "Where does it hurt?" she asks. "Can you move it at all?" Maureen straightens up and takes a step back. "I'll find a first aid kit." She thinks or a moment as she hesitates. "Or maybe-- should I call a doctor? I mean ,would that even help? Can you go to a doctor?"
"Okay. Um.." Maureen hesitates, unsure what to do. "I'll try to find something that can help you." she moves away from Twig. "I'll go and see if Babette can help too."
Maureen moves toward the kitchen, not entirely sure what she's looking for, and pushes through the door.
Babette looks up from whatever she's doing. "What's wrong?" Babette asks. "You look worried."
"It's Twig. They're hurt." Maureen explains. "I think there's something wrong with their legs? I don't know but we can't take them to the doctor?"
"And they came here because?" Babette quirks an eyebrow. "They remember this is a diner right?"
"I think it's because they know we're supernatural beings." Maureen bites her lower lip. "And I figured maybe you can help them."
Something shifts in Babette's expression, a flicker of something old and complicated passing behind her eyes. A beat of silence stretches between them.
"How?" she finally says. "How am I supposed to help? I can't-- what? I'll make them feel better by giving them a giant cake? You know my powers were limited because of my banishment." She spits the word like it tastes rotten, and in every way that matters, it does.
Maureen looks away. "I'm sorry."
Babette swallows. "No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you." She takes Maureen's hand and kisses it, and Maureen softens into the touch the way she always does.
"And I shouldn't have asked too much from you." Maureen responds. "I'll--I guess I'll see if there's anything I can do with my witchcraft to help Twig."
"Okay." Babette pauses. "Do you need my help with that?"
"No, it's okay." Maureen pushes a smile. "It's best I do my craft on my own, saves any complications."
"Alright. I'll let you get to it then." Babette replies. "You can call me if you need anything."
The two share a quick kiss before Babette turns back to her work.
Maureen slips deeper into the back, past the kitchen, where the diner opens quietly into the small space the two of them call home. It is a modest living room , just enough for two, with a worn couch, a low table, and the kinds of small personal things that accumulate when people share a life together.
A divider toward the back separates the living room from the sleeping quarter behind it. Maureen moves through it gently, looking through her stuff, and finds what she needs before making her way out of their private space.
"Hey." she says as soon as she arrives back to where Twig was waiting . "Sorry to have kept you waiting." She notices where they were sitting and winces. "Oh! Oh, I'm sorry I didn't give you a seat earlier! Please let me help you to one of the chairs!" She guides them carefully, mindful of their legs.
"I'm going to use witchcraft to try to help you." Maureen explains. "And don't worry, I promise I won't let anything bad happen." she examines the leg. "Now tell me exactly where it hurts, and exactly what you're feeling. I need more details so I can help you better." she looks from Twig's legs to make eye contact with the little creature. "And, tell me, did something hurt you?"
The lower part of my leg hurts and my arms hurt a little I-I can’t really tell what else hurts, it’s all just a dull pain I guess……and yeah something did hurt me, it was around my height I think….
"Okay. We can figure that out later." Maureen says. "Right now let's focus on dealing with your pain."
Maureen opens the box she had with her, the lid creaking softly as she lifted it, and drew out what she needed without haste. A bottle of coconut oil, dried chinese chastetree leaves folded in paper, fresh guava leaves, a piece of ginger root, a folded banana leaf, strips of clean cloth, and mortar and pestle.
Then she starts working, adding all the stuff in the mortar and crushing and mixing them together until they became a heavy, slick paste that clung to stone of the tool.
"I'm going to apply this on your injury, okay?" Maureen says as she takes a dollop of the paste. "It's not going to hurt."
She presses it onto their lower leg and begins to work it in slowly, making sure the remedy is spread evenly. Maureen then moves on to their arm without pause, scooping more of the paste and smoothing it along the forearm.
Her touch stays firm but careful, and a prayer slips out under her breath, low and continuous, the words flowing out of her in hushes whispers.
Maureen stops mid-prayer, completely taken aback about being cut off and Twig's sudden comment. "You're hungry?" She looks towards the kitchen. "I can have Babette whip something up. I know she'll love to make food for you." She then turns to them, giving a soft smile. "But right now we need to focus on getting you better. And that means I have to finish the spell."
"Okay." Maureen moves away and stops what she's doing. "Okay, we'll get you some food." She takes a cloth and wipes her hands. "And maybe we can finish the spell after you eat the food you need."
“Alright,” Maureen says as she stands. “I’ll go to the kitchen and tell Babette to make something for you.” She wipes her hands on her pants as she heads off.
A moment later, she returns with Babette in tow, followed by stacks of burgers as large as cakes and buckets of fries.
“Ah, it’s you. Maureen told me you were here,” Babette greets. There’s a hint of excitement in her voice. “Don’t worry, this is just the first round. I know how much you can eat.”
*as Twig watches the food, their eyes become a darker shade of orange, the shape of them changing a little as well, they look back at Maureen and Babette*
T-thank you…
*Twig’s eyes are now nearly black as they essentially inhale the food in front of them*
Babette’s gaze stays fixed on Twig and Maureen watches her for a moment, reading the shift in her expression, before turning her attention back to Twig.
"How are you feeling?" Maureen asks Twig. "Do you need more food?"
Babette clicks her tongue, her expression curious. "Something's different." she speaks. "Something is off with the way they taste."
"What? Twig?" Maureen asks briefly glancing at Babette.
"Yeah." Babette looks at Twig. "What happened? Maureen said you came here hurt?"
*Twig takes closes their eyes and takes a deep breath, when they look back up at Maureen and Babette their eyes begin to change back to the original shade of orange*
I was hanging out with a few of my friends, when something must have happened that caused me to pass out or something… when I woke up I was alone, well not fully alone, but my friends were gone and I could feel something watching me, like it was gonna try and hunt me down or something like that, I looked behind me and there was something, no, someone behind me. They started chasing me so I ran, I think…? I don’t know, it’s…..blurry…I think it bit my leg? I honestly can’t remember, but I somehow found myself near here and I was scared and I thought you could help me, I guess
*Twig puts their hands in their hoodie pocket only to pull out a pair of broken glasses*
Babette tilts their head, curiosity sharp in their expression. “Did you see what they looked like? Or at least get a glimpse?”
Maureen was waiting for Twig's response when she sees the little fella take out the broken glasses. Her attention snaps to them immediately. “What’s wrong? Whose is that?”
"Hey, Lucy. My name's Maureen. I'm one of the owners of the diner that just opened up." She glances at Twig, then shifts aside so Lucy can see them. "I don't think we've ever met, but I have met Lucas and Twig. And, well, Twig's here, and they're hurt." Maureen keeps one hand on the back of the nearest chair. She looks at Babette, who's listening in, then looks away. "We're trying to figure out who might have hurt them, and they said you could help."
Right… right yeah..um.. Lucas has mentioned you before
*Lucy takes a deep breath*
You know what, is it alright if I come over to your diner? It’s been a while since either me or Lucas have seen Twig like in person and they’re currently busy with the kids here and I….not that I don’t trust you but I would really like to see for myself, in person, that Twig is alright, if you don’t mind?
“Well, that's up to you.” Maureen responds, smiling kindly at Twig. “Do you need anything? Or would you want me to continue the spell to help with your injuries?”
Babette crosses her arms, leaning back with a faint scowl. “The diner is close for the day, anyway.” she says. “So I can make you more food or whatever.” A frown tugs at her face. “besides you're the only who actually eats right in this place.”
Maureen nods. "Okay" She then turns to Babette. "I guess you're making more food."
"Yeah." Babette grins. "I guess I am. " She turns to Twig. "More food coming right up!" She then turns and heads for the kitchen, leaving Maureen and Twig behind.
Maureen hesitates before answering, wondering if she should tell Twig the truth about being technically dead and being a damned soul from hell.
"Oh... I'm from hell .. . " She decides on that, hoping they don't ask futher. The last thing she wants is to freak Twig out if they find out she used to be a serial killer.
Maureen fingets, feeling uncomfortable with the question. Babette might be okay with letting people know what she is, but in Maureen's case it's still a sensitive subject even though she knows there's really nothing anyone can do to her if they find out the truth.
"Oh. That's enough about me! "She says, forcing herself to sound cheerful "What about you? Where are you from?"
*Just before Twig inhales the food, Lucy knocks on the door to the diner and Twig looks over*
Lucy!!!
*Twig gets up and runs over to the door, nearly falling over due to their injured leg and the pain it’s causing, leaving the broken glasses on the seat they were sitting on*
"Hello." Maureen speaks. "You must be Lucy. My name's Maureen. And that's my wife Babette." she points to Babette before turning back to Lucy. "It's nice to meet you."
"It wasn't that long ago" Maureen answers. "They came in saying they were hurt." She says, glancinh at Twig. "I tried to..um.. use my spells to help them but they got distracted and I had to pause." she bites her lowers lips and continues. "They don't seem to have any idea on who or what hurt them, though."
*Twig walks into the establishment, limping, covered in cuts and bruises, a sort of distant look in their eyes*
Mmm…. Maureen….?
*they look around, scared*
- @twig-the-little-fella
Maureen quicky looks up when she sees Twig arrive, a look of concern crossing her when she sees the state the creature is in. "Oh my goodness." she rushes towards them. "What happened? Are you alright?" She shakes her head at the stupid question. "Who--what did this to you?"
The concern deepens as she crouches over their leg, studying it. "Where does it hurt?" she asks. "Can you move it at all?" Maureen straightens up and takes a step back. "I'll find a first aid kit." She thinks or a moment as she hesitates. "Or maybe-- should I call a doctor? I mean ,would that even help? Can you go to a doctor?"
"Okay. Um.." Maureen hesitates, unsure what to do. "I'll try to find something that can help you." she moves away from Twig. "I'll go and see if Babette can help too."
Maureen moves toward the kitchen, not entirely sure what she's looking for, and pushes through the door.
Babette looks up from whatever she's doing. "What's wrong?" Babette asks. "You look worried."
"It's Twig. They're hurt." Maureen explains. "I think there's something wrong with their legs? I don't know but we can't take them to the doctor?"
"And they came here because?" Babette quirks an eyebrow. "They remember this is a diner right?"
"I think it's because they know we're supernatural beings." Maureen bites her lower lip. "And I figured maybe you can help them."
Something shifts in Babette's expression, a flicker of something old and complicated passing behind her eyes. A beat of silence stretches between them.
"How?" she finally says. "How am I supposed to help? I can't-- what? I'll make them feel better by giving them a giant cake? You know my powers were limited because of my banishment." She spits the word like it tastes rotten, and in every way that matters, it does.
Maureen looks away. "I'm sorry."
Babette swallows. "No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you." She takes Maureen's hand and kisses it, and Maureen softens into the touch the way she always does.
"And I shouldn't have asked too much from you." Maureen responds. "I'll--I guess I'll see if there's anything I can do with my witchcraft to help Twig."
"Okay." Babette pauses. "Do you need my help with that?"
"No, it's okay." Maureen pushes a smile. "It's best I do my craft on my own, saves any complications."
"Alright. I'll let you get to it then." Babette replies. "You can call me if you need anything."
The two share a quick kiss before Babette turns back to her work.
Maureen slips deeper into the back, past the kitchen, where the diner opens quietly into the small space the two of them call home. It is a modest living room , just enough for two, with a worn couch, a low table, and the kinds of small personal things that accumulate when people share a life together.
A divider toward the back separates the living room from the sleeping quarter behind it. Maureen moves through it gently, looking through her stuff, and finds what she needs before making her way out of their private space.
"Hey." she says as soon as she arrives back to where Twig was waiting . "Sorry to have kept you waiting." She notices where they were sitting and winces. "Oh! Oh, I'm sorry I didn't give you a seat earlier! Please let me help you to one of the chairs!" She guides them carefully, mindful of their legs.
"I'm going to use witchcraft to try to help you." Maureen explains. "And don't worry, I promise I won't let anything bad happen." she examines the leg. "Now tell me exactly where it hurts, and exactly what you're feeling. I need more details so I can help you better." she looks from Twig's legs to make eye contact with the little creature. "And, tell me, did something hurt you?"
The lower part of my leg hurts and my arms hurt a little I-I can’t really tell what else hurts, it’s all just a dull pain I guess……and yeah something did hurt me, it was around my height I think….
"Okay. We can figure that out later." Maureen says. "Right now let's focus on dealing with your pain."
Maureen opens the box she had with her, the lid creaking softly as she lifted it, and drew out what she needed without haste. A bottle of coconut oil, dried chinese chastetree leaves folded in paper, fresh guava leaves, a piece of ginger root, a folded banana leaf, strips of clean cloth, and mortar and pestle.
Then she starts working, adding all the stuff in the mortar and crushing and mixing them together until they became a heavy, slick paste that clung to stone of the tool.
"I'm going to apply this on your injury, okay?" Maureen says as she takes a dollop of the paste. "It's not going to hurt."
She presses it onto their lower leg and begins to work it in slowly, making sure the remedy is spread evenly. Maureen then moves on to their arm without pause, scooping more of the paste and smoothing it along the forearm.
Her touch stays firm but careful, and a prayer slips out under her breath, low and continuous, the words flowing out of her in hushes whispers.
Maureen stops mid-prayer, completely taken aback about being cut off and Twig's sudden comment. "You're hungry?" She looks towards the kitchen. "I can have Babette whip something up. I know she'll love to make food for you." She then turns to them, giving a soft smile. "But right now we need to focus on getting you better. And that means I have to finish the spell."
"Okay." Maureen moves away and stops what she's doing. "Okay, we'll get you some food." She takes a cloth and wipes her hands. "And maybe we can finish the spell after you eat the food you need."
“Alright,” Maureen says as she stands. “I’ll go to the kitchen and tell Babette to make something for you.” She wipes her hands on her pants as she heads off.
A moment later, she returns with Babette in tow, followed by stacks of burgers as large as cakes and buckets of fries.
“Ah, it’s you. Maureen told me you were here,” Babette greets. There’s a hint of excitement in her voice. “Don’t worry, this is just the first round. I know how much you can eat.”
*as Twig watches the food, their eyes become a darker shade of orange, the shape of them changing a little as well, they look back at Maureen and Babette*
T-thank you…
*Twig’s eyes are now nearly black as they essentially inhale the food in front of them*
Babette’s gaze stays fixed on Twig and Maureen watches her for a moment, reading the shift in her expression, before turning her attention back to Twig.
"How are you feeling?" Maureen asks Twig. "Do you need more food?"
Babette clicks her tongue, her expression curious. "Something's different." she speaks. "Something is off with the way they taste."
"What? Twig?" Maureen asks briefly glancing at Babette.
"Yeah." Babette looks at Twig. "What happened? Maureen said you came here hurt?"
*Twig takes closes their eyes and takes a deep breath, when they look back up at Maureen and Babette their eyes begin to change back to the original shade of orange*
I was hanging out with a few of my friends, when something must have happened that caused me to pass out or something… when I woke up I was alone, well not fully alone, but my friends were gone and I could feel something watching me, like it was gonna try and hunt me down or something like that, I looked behind me and there was something, no, someone behind me. They started chasing me so I ran, I think…? I don’t know, it’s…..blurry…I think it bit my leg? I honestly can’t remember, but I somehow found myself near here and I was scared and I thought you could help me, I guess
*Twig puts their hands in their hoodie pocket only to pull out a pair of broken glasses*
Babette tilts their head, curiosity sharp in their expression. “Did you see what they looked like? Or at least get a glimpse?”
Maureen was waiting for Twig's response when she sees the little fella take out the broken glasses. Her attention snaps to them immediately. “What’s wrong? Whose is that?”
"Hey, Lucy. My name's Maureen. I'm one of the owners of the diner that just opened up." She glances at Twig, then shifts aside so Lucy can see them. "I don't think we've ever met, but I have met Lucas and Twig. And, well, Twig's here, and they're hurt." Maureen keeps one hand on the back of the nearest chair. She looks at Babette, who's listening in, then looks away. "We're trying to figure out who might have hurt them, and they said you could help."
Right… right yeah..um.. Lucas has mentioned you before
*Lucy takes a deep breath*
You know what, is it alright if I come over to your diner? It’s been a while since either me or Lucas have seen Twig like in person and they’re currently busy with the kids here and I….not that I don’t trust you but I would really like to see for myself, in person, that Twig is alright, if you don’t mind?
“Well, that's up to you.” Maureen responds, smiling kindly at Twig. “Do you need anything? Or would you want me to continue the spell to help with your injuries?”
Babette crosses her arms, leaning back with a faint scowl. “The diner is close for the day, anyway.” she says. “So I can make you more food or whatever.” A frown tugs at her face. “besides you're the only who actually eats right in this place.”
Maureen nods. "Okay" She then turns to Babette. "I guess you're making more food."
"Yeah." Babette grins. "I guess I am. " She turns to Twig. "More food coming right up!" She then turns and heads for the kitchen, leaving Maureen and Twig behind.
Maureen hesitates before answering, wondering if she should tell Twig the truth about being technically dead and being a damned soul from hell.
"Oh... I'm from hell .. . " She decides on that, hoping they don't ask futher. The last thing she wants is to freak Twig out if they find out she used to be a serial killer.
Maureen fingets, feeling uncomfortable with the question. Babette might be okay with letting people know what she is, but in Maureen's case it's still a sensitive subject even though she knows there's really nothing anyone can do to her if they find out the truth.
"Oh. That's enough about me! "She says, forcing herself to sound cheerful "What about you? Where are you from?"
*Just before Twig inhales the food, Lucy knocks on the door to the diner and Twig looks over*
Lucy!!!
*Twig gets up and runs over to the door, nearly falling over due to their injured leg and the pain it’s causing, leaving the broken glasses on the seat they were sitting on*
"Hello." Maureen speaks. "You must be Lucy. My name's Maureen. And that's my wife Babette." she points to Babette before turning back to Lucy. "It's nice to meet you."
"It wasn't that long ago" Maureen answers. "They came in saying they were hurt." She says, glancinh at Twig. "I tried to..um.. use my spells to help them but they got distracted and I had to pause." she bites her lowers lips and continues. "They don't seem to have any idea on who or what hurt them, though."
