Welcome to Golden Cuisine (OPEN)

[aphrodite]

Out in the back alley behind a chain link fence stood Juneau LeFleur, smoking on ash by himself. He was halfway done with his Newport, which meant his break was halfway over too. Throwing his head back while the flame lit the night in a small tinge of orange, the server removed the cigarette from in between his lips and slowly exhaled the gray smoke. Without even finishing the entire thing he flicked it onto the ground and stomped it out.

"How did I even get started smoking those things?" he asked himself while retrieving a stick of Winterfresh gum from his pocket. Before he could go back inside and continue taking orders for the night, it would be important that his breath was as pleasant as possible. He'd just gotten the gum to begin working its magic when a coworker stepped into the alley to begin his own smoke break; that meant it was time for Juneau to get back in there. The two traded passing glances and slight hand waves as the Baton Rouge native reentered the bustling kitchen. He weaved between busy chefs and other servers along his trek, finally reaching the double doors that led to the large dining area. Juneau pushed through them, immediately noting that one of his tables was no longer vacant. The second half of his shift was officially underway.

The tall young man walked coolly along the carpeted floor of the fine eatery. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pen and notepad. Both items rest in his hands as he stopped before the table he was about to begin waiting on. "Good evening," he sang with a smile. His gum was pressed to the side of his cheek because some people found it rude to chew and talk at the same time. "Welcome to Golden Cuisine; prepare for a beyond divine dining experience. My name's Juneau and I'll be your server for the night. Can I get you started off with anything to drink? Hor d'oeuvres?"

The tip of the pen lay pressed to the paper, prepared to begin jotting down the orders and instructions given. A smile stayed glued to his face. People loved tipping the smiling waiter.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

A long day; that's what it had been, and Mari was no stranger to tired feet and a desire to relax. She sat there in the restaurant and thought about all. It was too much. An archangel talking to her? Who could possibly have thought that she'd be going about her day after getting out of the hospital and be running into a frumpy Angel who told her she had a mission from God to track down some demon who was going to make the earth suffer? It was too much and she was in need of some comfort food so here she was with her menu in hand and looking at what she could order.

Glancing up at the server she cracked a smile, even the residual smoke that made her nose twitch didn't dim her mood. "Well this is a surprise. When did you get into town Juneau?" she asked him as she set her menu down and beamed up at him, she wrinkled her nose and turned away, grabbing a kleenex from her purse and sneezing as she took a moment. "Sorry, allergies. Please, forgive me." she said once she'd put the tissue away and pulled out some hand sanitizer. Rubbing in the scented antiseptic as she regarded him with warmth. Her pink dress shimmered in the light and in spite of meeting Michael the archangel in a burned out area she smelled of roses and sunshine. "What would you recommend? What is your special dish?" she said as she looked down at the menu to make sure he knew she was seriously meaning food and not hitting on him. She had enough problems being a cupid with pheromones that made people do weird things without actively looking for someone to hit on.

She'd met Juneau in one of her visits to the South. She tended to visit Louisiana in the off season where there were fewer crowds and she could visit her cousin without a bunch of non natives wanting to go to Cafe Monde or the local places that only the regulars heard about. Stretching she felt her back pop and sighed as she pushed her glasses up on her nose.

[aphrodite]

The artificial smile that LeFleur had been forcing was replaced with a genuine smirk. It only took a few seconds for him to realize that he was familiar with the woman sitting before him. Very distinctive physical characteristics like her cataracts and leg braces made her hard to forget, but years of not seeing whoever she was made her just another fuzzy memory. "I'm sorry," he chuckled, "I know we've met before, but I can't quite remember your name. Help me out?"

The server looked around quickly, making sure he wasn't being monitored. He'd just gotten this job and couldn't afford to lose it, seeing as how his goal was to save up enough to buy his own set of wheels. He had to at the very least appear busy. "I just got into town. I've been here a few weeks now. Needed a change from the swamp life, you know," he told, remembering her enough to know that he'd first met her back home in Louisiana. It was just then that Marina turned away to sneeze into her tissue. He didn't know that the lingering smell of his Newport was the catalyst to her allergies. "À vos so..." - he started to speak in French because it, for some reason, came just as naturally to him as English in this instance; he caught himself - "I mean, bless you."

It was, in its own way, nice to have run into this lady in the pink dress. She was a familiar face, even if only slightly. Juneau was tired of only knowing his coworkers. Using this window of opportunity given to him, the young witch doctor resolved to be more than just Marina's server by the end of the night. He'd be her new friend. He started off his recommendation, saying, "If I'm being honest, I can't really suggest anything, Marina. I just got this job and haven't tasted all the menu items yet. But if you go ahead and give me your drink order, I can ask the chefs what's good while I'm getting that for you." He readied himself again to write down her desired beverage, smiling at her as he waited for her response.

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[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

Beaming happily she stretched her back lightly to take some strain off, "Oh forgive me. My name is Marina Sinclaire. I'm Cruise Webster's cousin. He's from Caldwell Parish." she said softly as she looked into his dark eyes, and settled herself a little bit more. Her glasses helped her see with the advancements of surgeries but she still had to study a person's features a bit more than most. His presence was pretty unforgettable.

"Merci beaucoup. she replied automatically. You didn't visit Louisiana for long without picking up French. It was just one of those things. Granted hers came from college but it still helped her get around. "Don't worry about it. Its all good." she waved off any concern, "I'm the girl that belongs in a bubble. I can't let it stop me from enjoying life." she looked up at him and chuckled. She was glad for a bit of normalicy in her life, "I'm the librarian for the university in town." she said with a contented shrug, "Had a lot of things going on and figured it would be good to spoil myself so I came here." she noticed a knife mark in her table and raised an eyebrow, "Looks like someone got a bit over zelous here." Cassie's outburst was unknown to her but some things could not be wiped away.

"I think some sweet tea would be lovely and just have them surprise me with something." she said as she passed the menu back. "Its good to see you." she was glad to see someone reacting favorably to her. Lately it had been a mixed bag and she'd had to fight down the urge to hide. She had a mission and she was going to see it through regardless of the obstacles in her path. She took off her glasses and took out a cleaning cloth to wipe them down a bit, her long brown braid trailing over her shoulder as she did so, head bowed as she concentrated. A mark with the letters TDM stood out on her neck as she worked and seemed to give off a bit of a magical glow to supernatural glow. Looking back up she put her glasses back on and nodded, "There, much better." she said as she regarded him with a blush.

[aphrodite]

"Oh, yeah!" Juneau exclaimed while wagging his pen around in the air. He didn't know Cruise very well, but the two of them had a nice amount of mutual friends back in Louisiana. The bicurious young man also remembered Marina's cousin being easy on the eyes. "I haven't seen him in a while. How's he doing?" he asked, knowing that inquiring was just the polite thing to do. He figured Cruise was still living in Caldwell.

He nodded his head and listened while Marina told of how she wound up out here in the city of angels. Juneau very well couldn't tell her why he'd chosen to relocate to L.A., so he decided to change the subject. "Yeah, I understand," escaped his mouth, just before she began to tell of her job as a librarian. He wanted to comment on her position, but he really needed to be getting back to the kitchen.

He accepted the menu from her, committing her sweet tea order to memory. "Okay, I'll have that right out," he nodded while she began to clean off her glasses. Almost immediately he noticed the brand on her neck. The supernatural glow was lost on him; he couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was. "Nice tattoo." She looked back up to him and he started up again: "I'll have your drink order out in just a minute, and I'll have the chefs whip you up something nice."

It would only be a couple minutes later that he reemerged at the side of Marina's table with her requested sweet tea. "There you go! And one of my friends in the kitchen says his specialty is Chicken Florentine. He'll have that ready for you soon."

Now with a little time on his hands (his other tables were content) Juneau could finally ask Marina more about her job at the university's library. He was interested in picking back up on his magical studies, and a leading institute's library was sure to have plenty of research material. "Which university did you say you worked for again? I've been thinking about continuing my reading and I think knowing the librarian will let me step right over the fact that I'm not actually enrolled at the college." The pen and pad were placed back into his pockets and a straw was picked up, placed on the table just in front of Mari.

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[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

She shrugged her shoulders and nodded, "As well as he ever does. You know how he fits in anywhere. Its that southern charm that does it." she said with a chuckle as she regarded him across from her. She couldn't help but wonder if Juneau was one of her cousin's exes. He had so many hit it and quit its she needed a list. "You guys friends?" she asked casually.

She noticed where his eyes were and flushed, "Thanks. It was a gift of sorts. So was the new one." she shrugged her shoulders and steepled her fingers together ass she tried not to think of how she got it. Was it really that noticeable? She hadn't realized what Cruise had seen and then she'd caught a glimpse in the mirror. She supposed Trent's initials would work but it was odd. Of course so was the tattoo of Micheal's mark on her arm as well. That one still felt new to her and threw her a bit.

"Fantastic. Chicken Florentine is fabulous." she nodded happily as she regarded him and beckoned him to have a seat. "Thanks for the tea. I work for the UCLA library. You could always apply as a page and get access if you like. You'd be filing books from time to time but the rest...well I'm the one that keeps an eye on the stacks so if you want something special it would go through me anyway." She took the straw and removed the paper from it before placing it in the drink and watching him with her eyes as she moved the scrap of paper that held the straw to the side. He was up front at least and she could admire that about him. She just hoped he wouldn't get her in trouble. She worried about that with every person that used the library and eventually she got over it and figured they would do what they were going to regardless of her. She couldn't play library guardian 24/7. Smiling to make sure he realized she was listening she brushed her hair over her shoulder.

[aphrodite]

"Southern charm... I know a thing or two about that," Juneau admitted while thinking of times spent back in his home state. There was definitely an enchantment seen back there than could be found here. But, for the sake of Cruise's cousin, Juneau quickly squashed any ambiguity left by his answer. "Yeah, CJ and I were friends. I saw him around a few times."

A smile and nod were tipped at Marina who sounded pleased with her entree. The working man saw Mari's hand wave to him, inviting him to join her, and he chuckled a little and waved his head. "I wish I could, believe me. My feet are killing me. But I'm still on the clock - my shift doesn't end for another three hours." He shrugged his shoulders, accepting it as a matter of fact. Remaining standing by her table side, he listened to her suggest a way for him to get closer to the books. "Well," he started, but had to cut himself short. He threw up a finger, telling Marina to hold on a second. A party of three had just been seated at another table of his.

Dealing with them was easy enough. A man, his wife, and their son were out for a nice dinner. Juneau took their drink orders and headed for the kitchen, passing by Marina's table intentionally. He made eye contact with her, dramatically rolling his eyes as a joke to her about how he'd rather be conversing with her than serving fruit juice to a seven year old. The beverages were delivered, the food selections were made and delivered to the kitchen, and Juneau was back at Marina's side. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

"Now, you were saying earlier something about volunteering at the library as a page, I think? What's that all about?" He asked, listening intently for the reply. In all honestly, he wasn't looking for another responsibility. He just wanted access to the books and to develop a functioning friendship with the woman seated before him. "How about this: how's the university's selection of Supernatural History?" Juneau wondered how many times Mari had been asked that question; probably not very often.

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[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

She nodded and looked up at him with relief. CJ was generally good natured but when he disliked someone it was with good reason. She tended to avoid people on his shit list as a matter of personal and family obligation. It kept him from worrying about her and it kept stress out of the one good family relationship she had.

Waiting quietly, Mari took time to study Juneau from under her lashes. Seeing how he interacted with his other table as she sipped her tea and thought about all that was going on in her life. She sighed softly and would probably have to take some business paperwork on her trip with Rodney. She was going to need a business to front some of the things she would need to track down this Samael being. There was just no way for an individual to set such a thing up without attracting the wrong attention.

"Work comes first." she waved off his apology with a slow smile. "Believe me. I've got a mountain of paperwork awaiting me at home. I swear I should hire a personal assistant." she joked as she regarded him and sat back in her booth.

"Pages help shelve the books and enter them into the main school library catalog. They also assist patrons with their requests for information." she said as she regarded him with a thoughtful look on her face, "If that doesn't suit maybe you could take a class in something minor? Otherwise the fee for a library card is thirty-five dollars every three months." she said as she thought about his request, "Well there is alot on the Aztecs of the area and the Mexican American myths. But...in my experience those aren't what people are interested in. People want to know about creatures that go bump in the night or where Stephanie Mayer got her information from." she chuckled at him in amusement. "I keep telling them that vampires don't sparkle and its probably in response to some of the old Slavic myths but they keep insisting."

[aphrodite]

The job of a page sounded mundane and tedious. Juneau didn't like books enough to want to take a position like that. He and the Dewey decimal system weren't about to get acquainted like that anytime soon. "Taking a few classes might not be such a bad idea. Anything to help boost a resume in this crap economy, right? Even with a four-year degree I still got stuck waiting tables at this place," he observed aloud, looking around the relatively nice restaurant. "I'm here to stay. Need to find some ways to occupy my time."

Listening to her delve a little into what her library had on the supernatural, Juneau smirked at the mention of Meyer. It was amazing how popular media had completely redefined the image people had of the magical community. "I agree with you there. I don't know why everyone's so sure vampires are glittery but I don't think that's how it would go," he laughed out. In actuality, he was positively certain vampires didn't sparkle. But because Marina was presumably just a normal human woman ignorant to the fact that there were dozens of creatures going bump in the night, as she would say, Juneau had to play the role of mortal for now.

"Don't worry. I'm not looking for any novels like that. Just the cold, hard fact textbooks and a couple myth and folk lore legend tales. That's the stuff I find interesting. Not the characters someone's made up." Without a warning this time, Mari's server walked away from the table. In thirty seconds he came back with her piping entree. "Your food is served. Bon appétit! I'll be back in a few," he said upon returning, also refilling her glass of sweet tea. Then he was off again to visit a few more tables, letting Marina enjoy her dinner.

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[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

"Well that's one way to look at it." she said a bit dryly at his cynical view of the world. She couldn't fault him really. She had more than enough reason to be the sarcastic woman many knew her to be. The marks on her body proved that much. Princess of the vampires, that and seven bucks would get you a really good cup of coffee. She shrugged her shoulders gently, "There is more to this world than most people realize." she said cryptically.

"Oh definitely. After you're off shift I'll tell you where half her ideas came from. Its not proper dinner conversation." she said as she regarded him from her wire rimmed glasses. "The truth is often stranger than fiction." she murmured as she listened to him. When he presented her with her food she nodded and smiled at him, "This looks fantastic. Thanks." she said as he slipped off and waited on the other table. She really didn't want some human digging around books he shouldn't. They were locked down and only she had the key for them. Still, he was a witch. He did have the same right as anyone else to know what was there.

She worked on her meal with the same delicacy she did everything else. Slow and methodical as she wondered why he wanted to learn about vampires. She placed her hand over the mark on her neck and sighed. It was very complicated and she was wary of any new players on the chess board but there was no helping it.

[aphrodite]

Juneau worked hard going from table to table, delivering drinks and taking orders. He'd spent so much time talking to Marina and he wanted to ensure that the other tables felt attended to enough to leave generous tips for him. Still, he kept an eye on Marina to make sure that she didn't leave without him getting to say goodbye.

Okay, that was silly. She didn't look like a dine-'n-dasher. But this was his first chance to make a friend and he'd be damned if it slipped by him. She was nice on top, and LeFleur believed she would be nice beneath the surface as well. And she was cousins with CJ who, if memory served correctly, was an okay guy. Juneau stood before the cash register, ringing up the Chicken Florentine order and deciding to use his employee discount to make one nice, lasting first impression.

"Here you go, Marina. Seventy-five percent off, courtesy of me." He stood beside her table and booth, having earned a minute or two to chit-chat. "How was it?" he asked, refilling her sweet tea again.

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[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

She placed her fork and knife on the plate and wiped her mouth delicately with her napkin before placing it too on top of the plate and setting it to the side to be removed when needed, "It was great. I think the chef outdid themselves." she said with a nod to him as she passed him her credit card, "That's very sweet of you, Juneau." she nodded her thanks to him making sure to tip well when the check came round.

As for our earlier topic...I think there might be more...fact based books on what you are looking for if you really want to know about such things. I should warn you, such books are rare and are not to leave the building. I'm technically not supposed to let people in the deep stacks but...I think you qualify for it." she tried to stay professional and ethical. It wasn't her place to record or even ask why he wanted the information. Pushing her glasses up on her nose she regarded him silently a moment, "Just be careful. Truth is stranger than fiction and some questions are best left unanswered. Believe me..." she rubbed Trent's mark absently as she spoke to him, "There are truths that few people could handle if they came to light."

[aphrodite]

After showing Marina the check, he took it back along with her credit card. "It was my pleasure," he said with a smile. He leaned an arm on the table, listening carefully as she now began to speak about the books he was searching for.

"Can't leave the library? Okay," he agreed. That would put a damper on his plans to actually practice his magic as he studied along, but it wouldn't deter him completely. It would just be an obstacle he overcame. "Thanks for the chance," he began, "I don't take it for granted. It's a topic I'm really interested in and want to learn as much as I can." She seemed to take her job and duty very seriously, and the fact that she was willing to bend a rule slightly to let him access the knowledge he wanted was a nice indicator that this friendship was headed in the right direction.

He picked up her dirty plate, clearing her table for her. "I'm not so sure what truths are actually in those books, I just like reading them." He was lying. "But any tidbits of truth they do hold," he hesitated a little, "I think I'll be able to handle. Be right back with your card." And just like that he was on his way again.

The register stop was quick with two receipts being printed out: the one Marina needed to sign and the one she got to keep. He took them both to her.

"I've still got another hour on my shift," he said, placing the receipts down on the table and handing Mari a pen. "I doubt you'll want to stay around waiting on me to get off."

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[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

She signed the check and made sure the tip was generous. Her eyes flicking back to him as she regarded him silently a moment and studied his features.

"Eh well you might want to see if the University of Arizona has an online class called Slavic Myths and stories. I had a friend who took it and she said it mentioned vampires almost exclusively. I'd have taken it myself if my course load had permitted it but I had to pass on it." Besides when your family was a demon and a vampire it pretty much garenteed you saw what the real deal was. She'd gotten her mother to let her examine her fangs at length. She'd even asked her father if she was going to get fangs when she was older and he'd ruffled her hair while Diana had shaken her head and told her they would make her lisp anyway if they showed up. That had made her laugh and she'd forgotten to be nosy after that.

Something told her he was going to be doing more than just casual research but she let him clear her table before she was going to address the issue at hand. She needed to let him know he was on dangerous ground with his research. No one wanted humans or witches delving into their histories too much.

"I've got some time to kill. I can wait if you like. Its not like I'm on shift at the library today." she added as she set her purse closer to her and took her reciept. Placing it in her bag as she relaxed with her drink.

[aphrodite]

With a grin, Junea refilled the glass of sweet tea. He had just a little under an hour left, actually. "All right then. You sit tight and once my shift ends we can visit the tea shop and catch up," he promised before walking away from the table for the remaining fifty minutes of his working day. Some hot tea would help him relax after today. Hopefully Marina would enjoy the atmosphere of the place he was talking about.

The rest of the night went swimmingly for the most part. Easygoing customers, uncomplicated orders, and great tips. In no time he was clocking out and rejoining Marina's table. "And just like that, I'm free for the night." He dropped a couple of dollars on the table for the bus boy that would clean off the rest of Marina's table. "Are you ready?" he asked, standing back and giving her room to stand up.

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