Zoie - Pizza and Potential

From Masq
Date: Setting:

IC:  08/07/2008
RL: 03/01/2011

Pizza Palace -- Albuquerque

  Pizza Palace is a bustling restaurant filled with all types of people -- an interesting and thorough cross-section of humanity. The low prices and frequent specials attract everyone from hungry college kids to curmudgeonly old people; from pasty late-night nerds taking a break from MMOs to families with screaming, marinara-smeared toddlers. Pizza Palace is open 24/7 except for holidays, with a happy hour from four to seven, and offers just about every topping commonly or uncommonly found upon pizzas. The menu also includes a variety of non-pizza food options such as pasta, sandwiches, and salads, for freakish pizza-haters dragged here by their friends. Eat in, get it to go, or call from home for delivery!
  The restaurant has a reputation for hiring stoners and slackers, but it's a mostly clean place with booths and tables on the inside, plus an outdoor patio area for smokers and people with dogs. The floor is a checkerboard pattern of black and white linoleum squares, and all the chairs and booths are red. Each table is covered with a fresh sheet of butcher paper and is equipped with a little cup of crayons along with the napkins, parmesan, and red pepper flakes. Neon signs in the restaurant windows announce PIZZA! and BUDWEISER!, and CORONA!, along with the always-lit OPEN! sign. Video games both archaic and current tempt children to scream at their parents for quarters, and a karaoke area reminds tipsy customers that beer makes you an excellent singer.

~*~places are available here~*~

Obvious exits:
Out <O>  

Cast:
Log:
It's evening, and just past dinner time. And, what better option is there when it's late, people are lazy, and there's a pizza place not too far away? Jake is up at the long counter up front, elbows propped against the top as he awaits his to get ready. Predictably, he's already got a beer, too, for what better thing is there than beer and pizza? It just -goes- together.

When the doors open there comes the warm winds that make up a southwest August. Zoie stands there and bites her lower lip as she looks from one area to the other. It is obvious to the onlooker that she's not sure where to go. A breath is taken before she comes up to stand near Jake. "Hey." Zoie's soft greeting may not register over the din of the crowd.

Jacob clearly wasn't expecting company, as he doesn't register the greeting for a moment or two, likely thinking it directed elsewhere. But, it does finally register that there isn't anyone /else/ in the near vicinity that could be the recipient of said greeting, so he glances over. "Oh. Hi, sorry, was sort've zoned out."

Zoie stands there for that uncomfortable moment. It is the one that seems to linger forever, but is really only a few seconds. Zoie's cheeks start to pinken as she thinks he's ignoring her and then he finally speaks. "It's okay. I tend to do that from time to time. I um... I've never been here. I was sort of hoping you um.. could maybe um.. tell me.. do I order here?"

"Oh, yeah, someone will come around here in a few minutes." He gives a crooked grin, gesturing with the beer bottle over toward one of the busy-seeming waiters. "My first time here, too, though, so I may not be the best person ever to ask." He doesn't particularly seem like he /minds/, though.

Zoie gives a nervous laugh and shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "Um.. have you.. eh.. ordered yet then?" Her lower lip is caught at the right corner between her incisors as she looks at him.

"Yeah, I have something coming," Jake replies after sending her a glance over, and leans over to snag a menu from a little ways down and slides it over so she can look it over. "They've got a ton of stuff here." His accent, though mild, places him somewhere New Englandish. "I didn't even know people /put/ some of this stuff on pizza."

Zoie has all the accent of upper east side New York. A smile of thanks flits upon her lips as she takes the menu. "What did you get?" Green eyes move to the menu and then back towards the man. "One of those." He gestures toward one of the place's specials, a white pizza with mushrooms, jalepenos, chicken, and, of course, bacon. He grins and shrugs a shoulder. "Sounds interesting, anyway."

"Oh! I was going to ask if.." Zoie pauses to run her hand up the nape of her neck under the fall of her hair. There is a clearing of her throat before she offers. "You know if you wanted to sha.. well thanks for your help."

Jacob's brows lift a little, and he looks briefly amused, but not in a negative way. Just in a good-natured sort of way. "Well," he says, amused, "Sure. I got a large. Unless you hate jalepenos."

Zoie turns light pink all the way to the tips of her ears when he calls her on it. A breath is ragged as it is pulled into her lungs. "They are okay." Zoie pauses at the amusement. "You are laughing at me aren't you? I'm just no good at this making friends thing."

"What? No, not at all." Jake takes a pull off the beer and giving her a sideways glance. "Just wasn't expecting it. It's cool, you're fine."

Zoie gives a soft laugh to that. "Oh! I'm Zoie." She offers her hand to him as she smiles. "Thank you for willing to share, what is my portion of the bill?"

"Jake," he replies with a grin, accepting the offered hand. "Cool to meet you. And don't worry about it," he dismisses, and then pauses, looks at her for a moment consideringly, and then offers, "Y'want a beer or anything?"

Zoie smiles softly to that. "Sure, that would be great. Could you.. um.. bartenders sort of. .um.. ignore me.." She indicates for him to maybe get ahold of one. Then she grins up at him. "So Jake, are you um.. from around here?"

Jacob looks amused at that, but this time for an inward reason he doesn't expand upon. He leans over the counter a bit, gestures for the bartender, and just says, "Yeah, two more've these," when he finally comes over. And, that done, he resettles and looks back over her way. "Me? Hah, no way. I've been here less than a week, just got everything moved in yesterday. I'm guessing you're not either, eh."

Zoie shakes her head. "No. I just got in today. I haven't even found a place for the evening nor got my stuff here." She laughs to that and settles back down. "Do you think it is a nice place so far?"

"Yeah? You're braver than me, I had an apartment lined up a week before getting here." The beers are brought over, and they are informed the pizza will be just a couple more minutes. "Thanks," Jake gives the guy, and then shrugs. "Hard to tell. Seems alright. Met a few people that seem cool. It's different, though."

Zoie looks a bit nervous about that. "Well I wasn't sure how expensive it was going to be and um.. I don't have a job yet and.." She moves to pull out her purse. "Oh! Let me pay my half for this."

Jacob quirks a brow upward at that. "It's on me. Call it a good-luck gesture for finding a job or something." He grins a bit, and just shrugs. "Well. It's a hell of a lot cheaper here than it ever was in New York, anyway."

Zoie smiles to that and then looks concerned. "I.. I don't want you to spend all your money. I mean.. what do you do?" She reaches for one of the beer and then pauses and puts her hands in her lap.

Jacob chuckles. "One extra beer added on to a pizza I was buying /anyway/ isn't going to break me." He slides the beer over. "I'm a bartender. So, see, they don't always ignore you."

Zoie turns her eyes to them and they widen in something akin to horror. "Oh my god! I didn't mean to .. it's just I'm not.. I mean I.." She just shuts up and takes a long pull of the beer.

Jacob sends her a bit of a bemused glance. "It was a joke," he muses, and then shakes his head. "It's not a big deal."

Zoie smiles towards him and then offers. "How hard is it to get a job around here? I don't suppose your bar needs more waitstaff?"

Jacob gives her a glance over, his smile growing a little crooked. "Well. I can give you the address. But it's sort of a dive, not sure if you'd --well. I'm the new guy, anyway, so I don't have any say." A pause, though, and he considers. "I didn't have too hard of a time, but I looked a bit before coming down here. What sort of stuff do you do?"

"I do whatever will pay my tuition and help me pay for a place to stay." Zoie flashes a gorgeous smile towards Jake now. "I don't suppose you ordered your pizza with a side of apartment and job?"

Jacob leans on the countertop a little at that, a grin edging across his features. "Sorry, they were all out of apartments and jobs when I ordered, so I had to settle with beer. Not that bad of a substitute--" And then, the pizza's finally brought over, and he thanks the waiter and goes about extricating a piece and plopping it on a napkin. "Go for it if you want any."

Zoie shakes her head. "They are always running out but still leaving it on the menu. I just hate it when they do stuff like that." She gives a laugh and then plucks a piece of pizza and a large bite. One hand starts to wave in front of her mouth, followed by the other one. "Hawgh"

Jacob, meanwhile, picks his up, but hesitates as she goes on ahead and faces the Wrath of Hot Cheese. "'s what happens when it comes straight out of the oven," he advises with a grin. "You gonna live, there?"

Zoie waves her hands in front of her mouth faster. The nearest beer is his and she grabs that to down almost half of it, or all that is left. "Yeah.. haight though.." She lowers her brows and then starts to laugh. The full, rich noise seems to startle her.

Jacob chuckles, taking a bite himself. Mm, cheesy goodness. And sufficiently cooled off enough so it doesn't burn the inside of his mouth to bits! Bonus. "Gotta say," he says afterward, taking a swallow of the beer, his attention on her now, "This place has better pizza than I thought it would. Where you from, anyway?"

"New York.." Zoie tosses her hair behind her. One almost expects it to be on the cover of a magazine. She then laughs a bit to that. "What about you?" Zoie's green eyes move to look around the area thoughtfully. "It does look like the pizza would be subpar."

"Same here, actually," Jake replies, looking faintly surprised. "Huh. New York to New Mexico, eh. Small world." A wry smile at that. "You come here for school, I guess?"

Zoie's smiles falters a bit to that question. "Yeah, um.. something like that." Then she gives a big of a smile before taking another pull of the drink. "So, what's your story? What brought you to New Mexico?"

Jacob hesitates for a fraction of a second, and then shrugs. "Eh, you know. Just a change of pace. Different scenery." Much, much different scenery. "Jobs are easier to get down here. Cost of living's lower."

Zoie takes a piece of pizza to munch on it. She waits for him to take a drink or a bite and then offers. "You knock up a girl and fleeing the shotgun marriage, Jakey-poo?"

It's a bite. And he nearly chokes on it. He manages to swallow it, though he coughs once or twice afterward and takes a long swallow of the beer afterward, and gives a bit of a strained laugh afterwards. "Yes. That's /exactly/ it," he replies, entirely amused and obviously kidding.

Zoie makes a face and then offers. "I know, Jakey-poo." She looks at him with those large, green eyes of hers. They are actually flashing with humor though. "Don't you remember? I'm the girl." Jacob looks rather... deer-in-headlights. "Oh /shit/," he says. "How did you -find- me? I mean, I thought I cut out of there pretty quick, your dad was--" He just grimaces in a show of 'dayum'. "I guess this means he's onto me, huh?"

Zoie nods solemnly. "Oh, Daddy is just a phone call away." Which is the truth in so many ways. "Well you didn't think I'd let my Sweet Baboo get away did you?" She reaches over to try and playfully pinch one of his cheeks. "So I figured I could just move in and we'll go get married now? I mean Daddy just got a new gun."

Jacob doesn't pull away. In fact, he gives a cheeky grin in response. "Did I ever miss your nicknames, sweetheart," he says dryly, and then hmms to the latter. "Well," he says, leaning heavily on the counter, "Maybe. I figure I ought to take the first step, though, and get your number. Y'know, for planning and things." There's a playful glint there, but oh he moved so smoothly into that.

Zoie smiles to that. "Oh, of course it's..." Zoie stops and stares at him before laughing. "Okay.. I see what you did there." She chuckles a bit but writes down her number (which he will get when she sets up the code). "And here I thought you would do the gracious thing and just marry me. I mean.. I can't believe you are just going to put your baby out in the cold." There is another swig of beer. "Jakey-poo."

Jacob only grins again, in an all-too-innocent way that proves anything but. He does pocket the number, though, and winks. "I'll text you mine." And then, he resumes paying attention to the pizza, and pulls out a piece. "It won't be in the /cold/," he says. "I mean, I'm guessing wherever it is will have a heater."

Zoie shakes her head to this. "So bartender, how do you keep the numbers of the girls you get straight?" Her eyes study his as she takes another swig of the beer.

Jacob seems like he was expecting this, somehow. He looks a little wry, and knocks back some of the beer. "Ah, I don't mix up working and getting numbers. Besides, this is my first gig behind the bar and I've only been doing it since I've been here, so I couldn't really tell you." A beat, and he adds, "Or, I could just say 'an elaborate filing system'."

Zoie nods her head. "Well you can get all the numbers you want. I'm just here for the marriage and the pizza." She winks and then finishes her beer before looking around. "So tell me about yourself more, Jake. Your parents still alive? You have siblings?"

"Yeah, my parents still live up in New York. My brother's a few years younger than me, he's up at NYU." Some of the humor fades at all that, though. "I'm not super close with my family. Not on the outs or anything, we just don't talk as much anymore. You?"

Zoie's smile is completely wiped at the mention of the college. "Really? NYU huh?" Awkward. "Um.. I went there." She nods her head and opens another of the bottles. "I um.. I use to be really close to my family. We are sort of... broken right now. So it was best I come here. So what about you are enrolled in college?"

"Ah." Awkward, yes, but he rebounds from awkward pretty well. "Nah. I went to college for a few semesters, but... just wasn't really for me." He shrugs a shoulder. "Been working ever since. I do alright for myself."

Zoie watches him for a moment. "Good. I'm going to need you to pay the bills. I'm a dance major, so you know what kind of jobs that is going to get me." She smiles more to him. "So why did you pick New Mexico?"

Jacob chuckles. "Well," he says, that mischievious glint back, "There's always /one/ option-- y'know, no, even I'm not going to go there. Not after just knowing someone for twenty minutes, anyway." He sets the beer bottle down, mulling over the question. "Was quieter, I guess. Different. It was between here and Colorado when I moved, and the deciding factor was the fact that this place has seventy degree winters." Amused, that.

Zoie looks at him with a vapid stare. It is as if she doesn't get the reference. "The ballet company?" The question is offered before she smiles. "What about you? Anything artistic skill wise that you have?"

Jacob chuckles. "Yes, the ballet company," he muses, and then ponders the question. "Not really," he admits after a moment or two. "I've never been ...an artsy type myself. Played ice hockey some when growing up, though."

Zoie looks interested. "Oh, please don't tell me you are a Sabers fan. Anything but that." She teases lightly and then looks him over. "I suppose I could see you on skates. I use to do all the dancing on ice stuff, I mean no where near professionally."

"Bruins," Jake supplies immediately with a grin. "And hey, I was good. Didn't play all through high school, but it was awesome when I did it." A pause, and he adds, "Yeah, I bet there aren't many places to go ice skating here, eh."

Zoie thinks it over. "They might have an indoor skating rink or something." She smiles towards him and pushes the rest of the pizza his way. It's a signal that she's done. "Do you have photos and everything? I mean, I might need a signed one for my wall or something."

"Photos of what, me playing hockey? Probably somewhere. Was when I was a kid, obviously." He gives a little half-smile, and then reaches over to pull over the remainder of the pizza. "What about you, how did you get into dancing?"

"My sis..." Zoie pauses. "I was not really cut out for the stage. I have horrible stage fright, like I want to panic and leave at the idea. However, as a dancer I could support my really beautiful and artistic best friend. So it's just what I did. That and I've never really been one to decide what to do with my life. It was easier to follow her around, you know?"

"Oh yeah? You have a sister?" Jake listens to the rest though, and nods. "I guess. I never really was like that, myself, but ... I can see the appeal. I've been sort of the opposite, doing what I want. Probably the reason I don't have a set career by now, but hell, I have fun."

Zoie is silent for a long moment. Yeah, it grows to an awkward moment. "I /had/ a sister, yes." Then she's smiling and switching topics. "Well then it's a good thing we are getting hitched with this baby on the way. I mean I'll just follow where you lead now." She winks to him and offers. "I was thinking Jakey-poo junior for a boy and Jakette for a girl."

"...oh." Yeah, that's a rough question, and he winces before he gives a bit of a crooked smile and allows her to change the subject with no real objection. "Alright. I can raise it up into the illustrious career of bartending. I'll have it making amazing martinis by the age of five."

Zoie laughs. "I will teach it to sing and dance! We will be the parents of the absolutely perfect flair bartender. Then we can move them to Vegas." This seems like a plan to her.

Jacob grins, and lifts the beer, as in a toast. "Sounds like a plan to me. I've always loved the idea of Vegas."

Zoie laughs to that and clinks her bottle to his. "Then we should elope there. I hear they even have a drive thru wedding chapel. We don't have to get out of the car."

"The classiest marriage ever," Jake laughs, and then reaches over to box up the pizza. "Anyway. I ought to get going, I have work pretty soon. But hey, it was cool meeting you. I'll call you sometime, yeah?"

Zoie nods her head and smiles. "Sure. Next time maybe I'll even buy you the food instead." Her lips curve upwards to that before she winks to him. "It was good meeting you too Jake.. um.. do you have a last name?"

"Riese," Jake supplies, rising up out of his seat and digging for his wallet, fishing out a few bucks to leave for a tip. "Have a good night, Miss Zoie--?"

Zoie smiles as she finishes her beer and is content to watch him walk away. Oh yeah she is. "Croft.. Zoie Croft."

Jacob gives a positively charming grin. "Well, Miss Croft, it's been great. Take care, yeah?" And with that, that grin lingers for an instant before he turns and heads on out.