nexus_crossings | Grand Opening!

Grand Opening!

There's always a lot of paper litter in the Nexus Plaza. Pamphlets and flyers and signs explaining the hows and why's and what's of the Multiverse. People looking for others from their own world. People looking to barter for safe return to their own worlds.

There are a different sort of flyer around today though.

Bakery and Restaurant Grand Opening!

Come support your local Nexus denizens in their new business venture. Located along the main thoroughfare of the Plaza heading toward downtown. (Actual location may vary as Nexus fluctuations have been known to occur.) Housing a variety of Nexus-world pastries and foods made by Katsuya Suou and Head Chef Ice Bear. Have a request? We'll make it or die trying!

Please join us at our open house for free samples and help name this new addition to the Nexus Community!

The bakery itself is tucked along the main road with a large sign that says "Name Us Please!" hanging out front. The suite inside the brick building has a homey and comforting atmosphere painted in warm reds and oranges and lit by soft yellow lights hanging inside large industrial size mixer whisks. Two display cases frame the register while a large open door gives a clear view of the kitchen, specially modeled to allow a full sized polar bear to work his kitchen magic. A smaller work area is lined with windows allowing customers to watch the baked goods being prepared and decorated.

Free food? Familiar faces? A chance to make Katsuya say a naughty word out loud if someone immature suggests a name for the bakery? Surely there's only one question to ask here.

When are you going and what would you like to sample?

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Furiosa has no clear idea what a bakery is, or a restaurant. Not that she's never read the words before, but such establishments are for the most part too quaint for the Wasteland. Bars are a bit more likely, but still few and far between. She's curious, anyway.

She's also a little cagey, entering the building and hovering by the door for several moments, just breathing in the sugary scents.

[Ice Bear happens to be the first one to spot Furiosa as she hovers near the door. Her appearance doesn't even faze him, but he is worried that she'll be scared because he's a bear. The thought quickly passes, as he steps out from behind the kitchen, gesturing to her politely with one paw.]

"Please don't be afraid of Ice Bear." [As if to further emphasize his point, he quickly pulls out a chair at one of the tables, offering her a seat. Hopefully she won't run?]

Large, fuzzy creature with big claws. Check. Furiosa isn't afraid so much as utterly bewildered. The largest animal she's ever seen was a seventy-pound hunting dog, a tough creature but hardly as intimidating as a full-size bear. On the other hand, she's being spoken to in English, and he's being quite polite.

Slowly, she nods and sidles closer, looks at the chair, looks at him, then decides what the hell, and sits. "Okay. Is that your name? Ice Bear?"

Seated, she has to really crane her neck to look up at him, and also restrain a sudden urge to ruffle fluffy white fur. That would probably be rude.

[The reaction isn't quite what Ice Bear was expecting, but is welcome never the less. Getting people to calm down from a frightened state is much harder than it looks. Once Furiosa has taken a seat, the bear starts answering her questions.]

"Yes. Ice Bear is happy to serve you today, Miss. Ice Bear is the chef here, at this new cafe." [He tries to bend down a little, so he doesn't have to strain her neck while looking at him.] "What would you like to eat? Ice Bear can make just about anything."

She actually gives him a small smile, unwittingly charmed by the gentle courtliness. You don't get a lot of that in the Wasteland (but you don't get a lot of bears in the Wasteland either, maybe good manners are inherent to the species?). She can't wait to tell the war pups at the new school about this encounter.

"I didn't come on my own behalf," she says, a little sheepish. Not that she couldn't eat, but she keeps telling herself she doesn't come to the Nexus just to enjoy herself. There has to be a purpose for her visits. "I was looking for a treat for the pups back home...the children. Some kind of small biscuit, maybe?"

[Ice Bear just happens to be one of those nice bears, even if his stoic nature says otherwise. He just has a difficult time expressing himself, that's all. The response Furiosa gives him is not really what he was expecting.]

"Nothing for you?" [The idea doesn't sit well with him, but the talk of getting to help children is a plus. At least, that's whom he thinks she's talking about when mentioning pups.] "Ice Bear has a good idea for something to take back. Give Ice Bear a few minutes."

[He's already walking back to the kitchen area, and within a few minutes, he returns with a large bag full of baked goods. Specifically, warm and good-smelling croissants, all neatly wrapped up for the travel home.]

"Honey-glazed croissants. Nice and flaky. Should go over well." [He places the bag on the table, but also places a warm bowl of beef stew on the table in front of the warrior. He won't stand by and see her eat nothing. Thankfully, he's also added a roll to accompany the warm meal.]

"I'm pretty well-fed," she tells him mildly. Which is true; if she really wanted to, she could have more than her fair share of rations back home, what with various factions trying to either curry favor or express genuine affection. Plus, in the Nexus she has access to all kinds of things that aren't available in the Wasteland.

Of course, it would also be both foolish and impolite to turn down good food, so when he brings back the stew, she's not about to protest. "Glory," she comments, peering into the bag and breathing in the scent. "That smells good. They'll be thrilled, thank you!"

She's not given to being effusive, but he's being generous, and she's pleased by the thought of how the children will react to honey-glazed. She hasn't seen honey around for barter in quite a while. She offers her arm to clasp, only a little hesitant when noting the size difference between his paw and her hand. "I'll tell them who made them, when I give them to the kids."

"...Ice Bear takes pride in cooking. No one should go hungry." [He gestures to the bowl with one paw, taking great pride in his creations. He's not letting Furiousa leave until she's eaten some of his cooking. He takes a few steps back, in order to give her some breathing room and not hover over her forever.]

"Ice Bear hopes they'll enjoy the treats. Do not hesitate to ask Ice Bear for food to take home to the children." [There's a small smile on his face, if only at the thought of helping young kids in need. He's not such a stoic bear after all, once certain topics are brought to light. He takes her hand, giving it a gentle shake in return.] "...Do not forget to take care for yourself. One cannot protect others without considering their own health. Ice Bear's stew is filling for that purpose."

"Cooking is very utilitarian where I come from," she says. "Limited ingredients. We have some treats, though, now and then."

Fresh croissants will be a cut above slivers of sugarcane or toasted grasshoppers, though.

He doesn't really need to coax her. Even if the stew didn't smell delicious, she's too conscientious to waste food under any circumstances. She sits again and dips the spoon in the broth to taste it. By her standards, it's incredibly rich, and it takes her a moment to process the various flavors--meat, vegetables, herbs. Her sigh of satisfaction is hopefully gratifying.

"...never had anything like it," she says honestly. "Where'd you learn to cook?"

"Limited supplies are tricky. Tough to cook with." [Even Ice Bear knows the struggle of that, let alone if you mess up with those scarce ingredients. And to be fair, if he knew the children of the Wasteland ate grasshoppers, he would be taken back. He's already making a mental note to give Furious food at any possible time.]

"Ice Bear watched tv shows. Read books." [There's a small smile on his face, both to the visible praise and being asked about his cooking background.] "Ice Bear can teach you sometime."

She nods pleasantly, and continues eating. "That, and we have a lot of mouths to feed. More now than before."

Not because of a population boom, although there's been a little of that, but certain segments of the populace didn't get rations before. She's pleased that now everyone gets something, even if it isn't much. But he doesn't have to feel bad about them eating grasshoppers. Furiosa, at least, thinks they're delicious.

"We have a few books, but they always seem to call for things we don't have. Herbs we don't grow, or butter or some kind of fish. Maybe what we need to learn is how to improvise." She smiles back. "Can you teach that?"

"Sounds difficult. Ice Bear senses that you're strong, however. Can help those in need."

[He continues to watch over her with a kind look, even if his expression doesn't show it. Her question does cause him to stop and think for a long time, given his easy-going lifestyle allows him to cook with whatever at any given time. This task might be daunting, but the bear seems confident that he can find a way to help Furiosa.]

"...Ice Bear is up for the challenge. Ice Bear will try to come up with a cook book that works for your people." [He's already pulling out a pad of paper from his apron, along with a pen.] "Ice Bear needs to know what you have to work with for starters."

"People have been telling me that," she says wryly. She hears 'strong' and 'tough' frequently. 'Scary' less often, but sometimes she thinks that's what people want to tell her.

She's patient while he considers, enjoying her meal thoroughly and seeing no reason to press for his thoughts. He surprises her, though, when he speaks again. Offering to write a book for her people is not what she expected at all. "Glory me...that's a lot of work. Are you sure? Is...there anything I can give you in return?"

The latter is a wary question. She doesn't like to take something for nothing, and he's already been very generous. He seems pretty honest in his kindness, though.

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icebearforpresident - 2016-09-13 14:32 (UTC) - Expand

Katsuya watches Ice Bear welcome Furiosa in, a smile on his face and a nod of the head in way of greeting if she catches sight of him watching her from over at his decorating station.

He has a large bag in his hands that he seems to be manipulating to dispense precise little dollops of chocolate something or other into individual serving cups. There's a twist of his wrist while he works, giving each a nice little swirl on top.

"Would you like a sample?" When he does finally speak up, the tray of little mousse cups is finished, decorated with chocolate curls on top.

She's watching him, too, curious. She's seen plenty of cooking, but most of it has been extremely utilitarian. The way he's putting effort into the appearance of what he's making is new and different. It almost seems a shame to eat something so pretty and delicate.

She shrugs at the question, awkward. "Is that really chocolate?"

She's heard plenty about chocolate, from the older Vuvalini. She's certainly never tasted it.

Katsuya moves to the front of the bakery to begin filling a section of the display case with the little cups, but he leaves one on the sheet pan he's carried these out on to carefully place on a saucer instead and set on the counter in front of Furiosa along with a spoon.

"Indeed. It's a rather popular dessert ingredient, so I thought I should have something chocolate to sample here today."

"...oh." She looks strangely hesitant, staring at the dessert. Glory, but it smells good.

"I don't think we have much of that available where I come from, any longer. The plants to grow it need a great deal of water, I think?" She picks up the spoon, puts it down, takes it up again and scoops up one of the decorative curls to taste. "It's pretty. Kinda hate to ruin it by eating."

That, and if she develops a taste for this stuff, she'll never be able to get it at home, just in the Nexus.

Katsuya doesn't know much of anything about Furiosa's world, but he pauses when she does. He looks down at the cup, then back at her.

"You don't have to take it if you don't want to. but they're samples. We're not charging today. This is just to get word out about our opening." His smile is warm and a touch nervous. Maybe he assumed incorrectly? Gosh, how rude of him.

"We have plenty of other things if you'd like to try those instead? If you don't want this."

Too late! She's already put the curl of chocolate into her mouth, letting it melt on her tongue. Her eyes drift half-closed. Yes, she can tell why the Vuvalini women used to talk of this stuff so wistfully; it tastes like a warm twilight.

She gives a long sigh and sets the spoon down. "It's chrome. Never had anything like it...you won't mind if I take most of it home to share, I hope?"

Looking sheepish, she gives him a nod. "What currency will you be taking, when you start charging?" This kind of thing would have to be a rare indulgence, but she definitely wants to know what her options are.

He doesn't know if 'chrome' is a good or a bad thing, but this woman certainly seems to like it one way or another so he's going to just assume through context that it means she approves.

"I'm glad you enjoy it. Would you like a few more to take back with you?" He holds up a little box. "I could get you one of each of the samples I have prepared."

Chrome is the best compliment there is in war boy language. Furiosa still uses their habits of speech, even if she knew other compliments once, and is learning more now. "That wouldn't be too much to ask? I'd like to let my friends try some."

"They remember chocolate," she explains with a wry smile. "There were wars and disasters that made our world unsuitable for growing things. Before I was born. But I remember them talking about hot chocolate, cocoa nibs, lollies. All sorts of things that can't be made now."

"I'd be happy to."

Truth be told he'd probably have given her a huge discount on them even if they were charging for their tasty treats. He knows war and devastation, and how much something small can mean once everything is taken away. A few more mousse cups go in the box, as well as one of the mini fruit tarts.

"They need to be eaten today unless you have someplace cold to store them, alright?"

He hands the box over to Furiosa with a warm smile.

"I think..." She trails off, studying the box with wide-eyed interest, then begins again. "We have a little cold storage for milk, but I don't think getting them eaten today will be a problem. Thank you, that's kind of you."

She has her eye on the fruit tart. Chocolate was very nice, but her heart will always belong to sugary peaches. She accepts the box with an answering smile. He never did answer her about currency specifically, so she ventures: "We're growing sugar cane now, and sorghum for molasses. Would you be interested in a trade some time?"

Hey, it's all organically grown! They don't have any other means for cultivation, anyway.

Forgive him, he's not the administrative mind behind this endeavor and got distracted by the promise of sharing food with more people.

"Oh! Yes, My apologies. I think Radio handles our money affairs but I'd be more than happy to try using new ingredients." His smile is so bright, hearing about the prospect of more people in other worlds trying his food.

"You should consult her if you wish to barter for our goods."

Currency is a tricky thing for Furiosa. She's managed thus far in the Nexus largely by selling bits and pieces of Immortan Joe's hoard of trinkets. None of them are practical, anyway, and seem to be more highly valued in the Nexus than they would be in the Wasteland. That's a finite resource, though, and she needs to think about the future. Trade here would be good.

His answer isn't entirely what she was looking for, but he seems so pleased by the prospect, she's at least assured she hasn't offended him. "I'd like that. Looks like you're all busy today, but I'll be sure to come by and ask for her another time, if you think she wouldn't mind."

She's not displeased to hear there's a woman in charge here, either.

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Grand Opening!

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sorry for the delay

no need to be, I'm a slow tagger anyway

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