ArchivedLogs:Rockin' Dogs

Rockin' Dogs
Dramatis Personae Ash, Dorian Siccavil
In Absentia	2014-03-12 Meeting up for talk and food
Location <NYC> Dogtown
A small nook of a joint in Midtown, Dogtown is decorated with little thought to class or style. Cheerful, with black and white tiled flooring, bright red tables, bright yellow walls, menus plastered on peeling sheets over the counter, the walls are papered in an assortment of photographs -- smiling patrons who hold records for successfully eating six or more hot dogs in one one-hour sitting. The menu here is simple and solid -- hot dogs both beef or vegan with a huge array of toppings, fries, slaw, chili. It's not haute cuisine but the dogs are good enough to draw large crowds, especially late at night. The day was warm enough, but the influx of moisture makes it feel just a little cooler. As the sun goes down, some of that damp just becomes utterly chilly. Ash is staving off some of that cold by spending the later evening in the warmth of the restaurant and the deliciousness of dogs. He texted Dorian a while ago, so when he arrives at the approximate prearranged time, he looks around to see if the teen beat him there, or if he's still coming. He's wearing a brown tee under his heavy canvas cold, treated against moisture and lined for some warmth. His jeans were blue once, but now they are a little tattered and rubbed brown with dirt. Dorian has not in fact beat Ash to the restaurant, peeking his head through the door sheepishly before entering. He enters Dogtown with a hesitant posture, creeping through the door as though expecting to be told to leave, a bit uncertain of himself in new surroundings. In order to draw minimal attention to himself, Dorian is wearing considerably more layers than normal, with a heathered blue t-shirt with a faded black logo for some obscure band, left untucked from a pair of worn blue jeans. A pair of black canvas sneakers hide his feet, and a dark blue canvas trench coat, likely some variety of military surplus, that falls nearly to his mid-calf masks his tail from view in most cases. His mop of messy dark brown curls are ruffled by the wind, effectively hiding the tiny opposable ears, though when he looks around, trying to find Ash amidst the evening crowd, his ears wiggle and shift the hair, making them almost visible if someone is staring. The young man brightens visibly when he spots Ash, bouncing over to meet his friend. "Hi!" Dorian chirps in greeting, grinning broadly, "Didn't mean to be late. Kinda missed my bus because I got a bit distracted, and decided to walk, and it didn't really work quite as planned, so now I'm here. Bit late kinda." "Yeah, don't worry about it," Ash remarks with a smile, studying the only slightly younger man with a lazy grin. "Have you gotten taller?" He starts to guide the pair into line to order, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "This place has great dogs. The toppings are amazing as well. They got everything from teriyaki sauce to sauerkraut. The combinations have great names too, but you know, you can just ask them to put whatever on your dog you like. Personally, I love the greyhound, but the samurai dog is pretty good too. And don't worry, I'm buying. You should have some of the root beer. It's so smooth and almost creamy - you know, without using any cream." Dorian shrugs and looks down at himself, an uncertain smirk on his lips, "No? I don't think so. Probably being a little bit less with the cringing from everything, I guess." He ruffles a hand through his hair, scratching idly at his damaged ear, "The coat's kinda heavy, and I hafta walk right or else it doesn't lay right how it's s'posed to." He looks up at the menu, wide eyed at the selection, his mouth hanging slightly open while they wait in line, "Oh, wow. Um, that's kinda a lot of choices. Like a lotta choices. But, um, I think maybe the basic chili and cheddar dog seems good. Kinda simple, yeah. And sure, I'll try the root beer. I like soda - I probably shouldn't drink as much as I do, but it tastes so good." He looks a bit sheepish, grinning and bouncing on the balls of his feet, hands tucking into his pockets, "Thanks, Ash. I'll owe you one." "Well, don't worry, the root beer doesn't have caffeine, so you'll only be silly on the sugar." Ash pulls out his wallet when they approach the register. "Yeah, I'll take a greyhound with fries and a root beer and a cheddar chili dog and root beer for my friend. Did you want fries too?" He peeks over at Dorian for his order before handing the bills to the person at the register. "You should really not ... cringe. I mean, I get why you did, but you're out here now, out in the city. You gotta adopt the bravado in order to really make here, you know? I mean, you'll be fine, but... have you decided what you're doing for the summer?" "I like sugar. Apparently I have a sweet tooth, or something," Dorian says with a wide grin, ruffling his hair again. The question about the fries gets a shake of his head, "No thanks. Just the hot dog and root beer is good, thank you." Nodding in agreement, Dorian bobs his head in thanks to both Ash and the employee, before responding to Ash, "I know. I've been working on it, trying to be less of a, um, push over. S'just kind of hard to get used to I guess, but I think I'm getting better, at least?" He shrugs, the motion lifting the hem of his coat just enough that his tail peeks out beneath it momentarily, "I think I want to get a job. I mean, I know I need to, but I actually sort of want to see if there's anywhere that'll take me without my high school diploma. School isn't exactly my thing, and it just kinda feels... odd? Still being there." He crinkles his nose, ears rustling through his hair as he moves, "I'm gonna be 20 this month. I think I kinda just need to sink or swim." "Hey! Twenty! I turn twenty one next month. We should split the difference and have a party." Ash replies, moving a little over to wait for their food, hands stuffed back in his coat pockets again. "Also, if you have a sweet tooth, you should come by my apartment later. I have this wonderful rock candy, you won't believe how I am growing it." He grins to himself, moving back to the counter as two bottles of root beer are presented, with the store's name on the label. He hands one to Dorian and twists the top off. "Well, I can see if I can get you a job. Hive's got me working with this friend of his - and they know about me, so maybe -- and if the union doesn't mind me so much and lets me take up my membership again, then you can too - you know, you're old enough and it's just summer work." Dorian tilts his head curiously at the thought of a birthday party, grinning lopsidedly if a bit confused. "I think I wouldn't mind that. I mean, never really had a birthday party before. Not for a long while, anyway," he admits, ruffling his hair and shrugging. "You're growing rock candy? I... huh. Cool," he chirps, admittedly a bit confused at the idea, accepting the rootbeer and fighting with the cap for a moment before getting it open with a 'hiss' of escaping carbonation. The talk of a job gets an anxious nod from Dorian, his scarred hand fidgeting with the bottle cap as he listens. "I would like that, yes, I mean, if you don't mind checking. I don't think I'm exactly really good at school, but I'm a good listener, and I like working with my hands," he offers, grinning and wiggling his fingers as he continues babbling, "Thank you. It gives me something to look forward to for the summer. Besides struggling with more classes." "School's not for everyone, Dorian. Don't let it get you down. Hell, I never finished. Didn't really see the point. I had to go back and get my GED so I could join the union, but other than that, I don't have a lot of interest. There are people taking classes in construction management -- so maybe I'll do that someday, but really, I'm just not a fan of the classroom." Ash takes another sip, his brows rising when he sees the cashier bring the tray with their food. He sets his root beer on top and carries it over to a table. "Yeah! It's pretty amazing stuff. I actually dreamed about it and I woke up with a rock that grows the most delicious rock candy. I can't explain how it all works, but if I take care of it and keep it pruned, it stays edible." Ash settles into a chair and peeks at the food, shuffling their perspective meals in front of the correct person. “Yeah, I s’pose not. I mean, maybe if I’d actually been in school all my life, but it’s kinda, well, what’s the point now?” Dorian offers and shrugs, “I think I’m gonna talk to my adviser about just getting a GED or something. Pretty sure I can do that much.” Her takes a sip of his rootbeer and pulls his hot dog toward him, eyeing it hungrily. “You dreamed of it, and then it was there? That’s awesome, and kinda odd. But tasty sounding if nothing else. Because rock candy is kinda awesome,” Dorian nods emphatically, grinning lopsidedly in confusion. Finally unable to resist the food in front of him longer, he takes a massive bite of his hot dog - which effectively quiets the overly chatty young man for the duration of the shared meal.