every hour, on the hour

"It takes a couple of weeks to decide what we want to add to the current menu, with the trial period and trying to match everything. Then we introduce the dish for a week, and if the costumers like it, then we can keep it." Her answers are steady as she works on chopping vegetables for the chef to prepare. She might be the one in charge of creating the new recipes, but as long as the food isn't pastries, then she leaves most of the cooking to him. She is still relatively new to the pleasures of eating, but if Eilistraee is willing, she will have time for more.

"Sounds like a lot of work." Lots of trial and error, he imagined that could be frustrating. Or fun, depending on the perspective, he supposed. Atticus was desperately trying to be more than just a glass half empty person but it's nowhere near natural yet. But he looks over at Andruil and he thinks about the process she's describing and it makes perfect sense to him. "I imagine it takes a lot of patience." Which was something he could probably work on, this job thing was actually working out pretty well in that regard. It was less about professional growth anyways, he wasn't looking for a career, he was looking to get out of the house and hopefully learn something in the process. "What happens to the recipes that are a no go?"

"You got a job?" Asher could already tell he had a lot to teach the other, but truly, a job was a job and that meant work. And that meant dealing with people. Asher could never. Once, he could. He'd been pushed to go to school, to maybe try out one of those colleges in New York, but that had ended quickly. He'd fallen into vampires, into everything else that would make him feel important. But now? Now he was living the life. Atticus would get there. "So do you have a room here?"

Asher says it like he can't quite believe it and Atticus simply just raises his shoulders in a shrug. He's seen the other vampire spend a lot of time leisuring about whenever he was at the palace, he figured working wasn't something he'd done in quite a while. And that was fine, he needed something to occupy his time that wasn't just housekeeping. "Technically yeah, I haven't done much decoratin' or anything though." He scratches at the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm not too good at the whole 'luxury' aspect of being a vampire I guess." What would he hang up? Sports posters? A couple of prints from his favorite drag queens? He had no idea.

Atticus' question had the former Overseer taking a step back to talk with the vampire, look at the other in the eyes, and ascertain if the man was serious. A smile crept up at the corner of his lips as he raised a brow at Atticus. Maybe it was the drugs talking, but he was pretty sure he had just heard Atticus ask him if Ephraim would date him for real. "Are you asking me to go steady with you, 'Tic?" Now Ephraim was going to have to plan a date for them; a part of the man wanted to jokingly tell Atticus to find his own place. Obviously, it'd be inappropriate for them to be living together already.

"Yes." It's said very quickly, accompanied by a nod of his head as Atticus steps back from Ephraim so he can look up at him. There's no blushing, there's no heartbeat pounding against his chest and so all he can kind of do is smile shyly. It only lasts for a second because he's inching up on his toes again to press his lips to the corner of the other man's and the world feels a bit lighter. Or maybe that's the alcohol combined with excitement, the idea that maybe they get a real shot at this. "I like dates." That's said quickly too and it's almost tentative, the way one of his hands find the once Overseer's. His own skin is cool to the touch and that's an actual point of anxiety but he doesn't think too hard on it in favor of raising their intertwined fingers. "I've never really gotten to do this with anyone."

Atticus mumbled a bit more, but Ephraim caught the gist of it; they'd finally get off together in some capacity. That sounded nice because lord knows it had been a long time for him, but Ephraim wasn't interested in some fast, dirty grunting out of a collegiate fantasy. The entirety of his sexual existence to date was based around circumstances like what Atticus described, and he wanted more than that, a lot more. "I don't want to jerk off together in some bathroom." The thought was there, but maybe they were too drunk to have this conversation. "I'm going to call a cab. We can talk about this more tomorrow."

There's this kind of twist in his chest and it's not a bad one, there's this little hope and it's more than a little embarrassing when he thinks about it. Everything sort of clicks into place because if the once Overseer isn't into what he kind of maybe thought...."Ephraim Briggs." Atticus looks up, chin on the blonde's chest and he really does kind of have to just lean against him to reach properly. But he takes the human's unfairly gorgeous face in his hands and he lets out a breath. "Date me. Like actually." Like they're real people and not just two guys for The Eye to puppet anymore. He glances to the party, the people and there's nothing more he wants than to actually be sitting at home, watching a rerun of Drag Race while Ephraim goes over files. "That is, if you want to, I mean."

Asher made a face into his drink, though it was only because this meant growing some attachment. Theo had done that for him, feeling their deaths? That was such an unfortunate side effect. Caring about multiple people wasn't something Asher did great at, but he figured getting to know the other couldn't be that bad. Besides, he was learning not to block his sun, anyway. "Yeah, okay. So you've been...you were, the Eye's bitch for a long time. Now what are you doing, dude? Rome? Because you had to or what?"

Atticus kind of takes that as his cue to sit and so he does on the lounger beside Asher. This is going to be the hard part of all of this, talking about The Eye, talking about all of that and what Ephraim meant to him now. He's more than a little protective of the blonde, worries what people will think of him if he explains how they met, that he's staying with him. But there's freedom to talking about it, he's in charge of his own future now. "I am staying with a tall drink of water in his ranch home. I got a job at the brunch place, that's all I've got going on right now." Somehow he doesn't think Asher is going to think much of manual labor but Atticus needs something to occupy his time.

Oh, no, there he goes again reminding her of Ezekiel. Atticus offered to clean. The real curse in Morrigan's life was actually attracting twinks to her with sweet dispositions that didn't deserve the attitude she gave them. "No, I'll actually take the offer. You won't get paid though. Or maybe... Dunno. Depends how I feel." He sent him a humorless smile. However, Rhiannon hesitated a moment before letting her expression soften ever so slightly. "So you really accepted I'm your great, great grandsire with no qualms, huh?" It was the first time she'd said it that way; or at all. Alluding to it was one thing but now Rhiannon was about 90% sure.

"I didn't really have to clean all that much back at home, I think I like doing it." Quite a bit actually, it was soothing. What was that thing people said? Clean space, clean mind? Or something about organization? He can't remember but he does glance to her home, then her and he knows why he's here. Atticus is there because he knows how much Zeke meant to her, how much he'd meant to him. It didn't seem that man didn't impact everyone he encountered in some way. But more has happened and there in her living room, he blinks and realizes that yeah, if Asher was his sire.....He tries to put the whole tree together in his head and for a second he kind of wants to hug her again but decides against it. "I think I've gotten all the tips I need for the time bein'. But uh, I guess I can say I'm very happy that my new family isn't as shitty as the old one." It's shy, he scratches the back of his neck, his eyes averting from her to the carpet.

There was still the intrusive thought that it shouldn't be this hard, that Atticus would be better off with another vampire, or maybe with someone who's jugular he didn't want to tear out. They'd gone from prisoner and warden, to vampire and thrall, to whatever people would classify this as: did Atticus genuinely want to do this, or did he just not know anything else? Ephraim knew very well that he was at least in part to blame for that, every time he gave Atticus some leash he'd end up tugging it back in a fit of jealousy. Either way, he was high, and drunk, and Ephraim was pretty sure they were both high and drunk so where this conversation landed tomorrow could've very well been anywhere. "I want that too." Atticus sunk his face into Ephraim's chest, mumbling a bit against the former Overseer's skin as he did, but he could still pick up on what he was saying. "What did you have in mind?"

"We achieve at least one orgasm without me puncturin' flesh for start." It's sarcastic and still kind of muffled because Atticus is still talking directly into Ephraim's chest. Only for a second though because he's looking up at him, chin against his sternum, close to his heart. It's not something that is ever lost on him, the slow thrum that seemed to kind of go along with the bassline of the party's loud music. "I think that's a good step, actually." And then he's trying to think harder about that, logistics, when he decides 'fuck it'. He has to lean up on his toes, against hard muscle, to press his lips to where neck meets shoulder. Because that all too familiar artery is close but he's satiated. "Hand stuff. We can even do it the proper Southern way an' jerk off in a dive bar bathroom." In cowboy boots, that was just how it used to be done in college.

"It's not," the vampire was just afraid. Skittish maybe but otherwise just afraid but the last thing Ephraim wanted to do was push the other into something that he didn't want to do. Apparently that wasn't really the problem but neither was the Overseer especially keen on being used for sex, still, Atticus said he had an idea so hearing the vampire out felt like the very least that Ephraim could do. Besides, it's not like he didn't want to he was still more or less just caught in a limbo of not knowing what they were to each other. "Alright, well, let's hear it then. What's this idea?"

"I think we should find ways to ease into it. Talk about it beforehand, try some stuff out, I just...." He thinks he's kind of losing the crowd here, Ephraim is giving him that kind of concerned look he gets. Drink still in one hand, Atticus steps closer and his free hand clutches at the front of the blonde's shirt and he's frowning. Then he does the thing he's grown very accustomed to doing, he practically plants his face between Ephraim's protruding pectorals. "I want us to get a shot at normal." It's quieter, he wonders if the mortal can even hear him over the music. "And I want it with you."

"Yeah, not my fault." Asher probably said that a little too quickly, looking away from Atticus when the other mentioned the Eye. Guess neither of them saw that coming. It was definitely a bit Asher's fault, though, as he sat there, reminiscing of how ridiculous he'd been back then. "I'd been fucked around by a vampire for a long time when I was human. All I needed was a chance and....I panicked when I almost killed you. So I passed that chance on. I just didn't think we'd ever find each other."

"I didn't either. Seems kind of unlikely." He's trying to be a good sport about all of it because this way he at least got a shot at a life. Maybe one he could actually do something with aside from just college and then whatever his parents wanted him to do. In a very morbid way with terrible circumstances, this guy had done him a favor. "I'm not um, I'm not quite sure what I want out of this." He'd seen how sires and their progenies were a thing here now but that wasn't everything. Rhia had taken Zeke under her wing, there was more to this than just sire to progeny bonding. "I'm not askin' for you for anythin', but I would like to get to know you, I think."

Most times Ephraim couldn't really tell if that's what Atticus wanted or not, it was kind of an awkward conversation to broach given the dynamic between them. "I've never had an issue with you biting me before." Considering that had mostly been the foundation of what their recurring encounters were centered around, Ephraim had never really seen what the big deal was. Atticus was just skittish though so the former Overseer did what he could to try and be respectful about that. The other had stopped feeding from him pretty soon after he'd moved in, he had blood bags, and agency to do what he wanted. "Do you want to have sex? I was kind of getting the impression we were just, I don't know, friends with kind of a confusing history. You don't owe me anything 'Tic, least of all sex."

"This is different." And it might not be for Ephraim and that's just fine. It hadn't really been something Atticus had thought about while he'd been in the facility, there hadn't been anything to compare it to. Back then he'd bitten the Overseer because he'd been hungry and angry, and while the hunger thing was never going to go away, it was different. He had maybe wanted to maim someone, something, back then. It's not like the blonde is made out of glass by any means, but there's still this voice at the back of his head terrified of taking things too far. That thought goes out the window at the sound of something else Ephraim had said and he was actively cocking his head to the side and looking to the brick wall of a man incredulously. Just friends? Just friends?! He almost gasped out loud and he would have, had he not been on a mission. "Have you seen yourself lately? Of course I want to, I just don't want to worrying I'm going to you know, rip out your jugular or somethin' during the act."