"This is the slowest dinner rush we've ever had!" Oscar Melamed bemoaned, and he wasn't exaggerating. His wife, their daughter, and grandson sat around at different tables, each one bored out of their mines as there was not a single customer in the diner, not even Alix, and she drops by almost every day to see Nathaniel when he's on his breaks.
"This sandwich is amazing!" Speaking of which. The Kurtzbergs and Melameds looked on with some betrayal as Alix walked into their diner with another sandwich. "It's a pesto mayonnaise with a smoked turkey and a fancy cheese I've never heard of." She takes another bite. "I know it's fancy because it's not sprayed on."
Nathaniel furrowed his brow. "Where did you get that?"
"At the new place down the street," she answered. "The Late Nite Bite. They've got different menus, too- Kosher, vegan. The only problem with it is it's super packed." Alix gestured around the empty diner, "Not like this place," she scoffed. In retaliation, Nathaniel crumples up a napkin and throws it at her. "So worth it," she said before taking another bite out of the sandwich.
Willow's eyes widened. "There's another diner nearby? Competition?"
"There's no competition," Oscar assured, knowing that no fancy sandwich could compete with what his family sells. "Let me try that, Alix." Without waiting, he takes a bite out of Alix's sandwich just as she was about to have another bite. "... Okay... There's no competition- This sandwich is even better than pizza!" Alix tries to grab for it, but he keeps it out of reach so he can have another bite.
"Can I have it back?"
Willow takes the sandwich away from him, mainly so she can see what all the hype is about. "Oscar, maybe we should send somebody down there to check it out, huh?" After taking just one bite of the sandwich, she quickly begins to take off her apron. "I'll go!"
"No, no, no," Aya told her mother.
Alix raised her hand. "I'll go. I need a new sandwich, anyway," she said, narrowing her eyes at Willow as the older woman finished off what was left of her lunch.
"We only send you on missions of destruction," Oscar told her. Alix thought it over for a second before nodding. The last time they sent her out to scope out the suspected competition, Alix ended up making an oven in a restaurant's kitchen explode. "For research, surveillance, and to sometimes confused people," he tussles his grandson's hair, much to his annoyance. "Nathaniel's our guy."
With a roll of his eyes, Nathaniel swats his grandfather's hand away from his head. He gets up. "Alright, I'll go. But if their sandwiches are good, don't go crying if you see me walking in with a wrap.
The owners clearly had a love for Gothic charm, as the entire room is only illuminated by onyx chandeliers while the windows are covered by curtains made of blood-red velvet. One the stone walls are seemingly normal paintings, but if one were to look closely at them, they'd see blood on the little girl's hands and those men are lying in coffins. Despite the dark atmosphere, the diner seems to be very popular.
"Damn, this place is busy," Nathaniel said to himself as he walked in. He looked to the side and sees a ceramic skull vase with a few menus in it sitting on a black side table. "How festive," he said sarcastically.
"You're telling me," another voice spoke up. "Seems to draw in customers, though." Nathaniel felt his face heating up when he saw a boy around his age who definitely did not belong in a place like this. He's dressed in a bright red hoodie that's much less intimidating than the blood-red curtains and tablecloths, and people are sure to find him by the rainbow tie-dye shirt he's wearing amongst all of the black decor. "... So, are you going to order, or just stand there?"
