ecstasy

Zeus had to laugh, shaking his head at the unbelievable yet perfectly predictable story from his cousin. Of course, there was always a mess to clean up or hilarity that ensued in Dino’s life, and as far as Zeus was concerned he could keep it. Zeus could hold onto the scandals and the dark corners while Dino enjoyed his fine wines and fine foods and the occasional bout of filth. “Taking a moment,” Zeus explained, looking up at the stars and the heavens. The stars were largely invisible with the light pollution of the city, and he was used to that, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t picture the clear cloudless nights of home in his present skies. “I’ve normally got somewhere to be until much later, thought I would take the night as it comes, see what all the fuss is about.” He turned back down, nose scrunched. “Now that I’m seeing the state you’re in, I can remember why I didn’t miss you, and more importantly why I don’t waste my time with this. You know I prefer a cognac, cousin.”

“What a pity I am not offering you cognac then.” He didn’t let his cousins words get to him in any real way, but with the strangeness he’d been feeling lately, he perhaps wasn’t sure anymore if he wanted to humour Zeus’ jibes and general attitude. “You can just say no, and go home.” His demeanour had shifted slightly at his own words, as though Zeus was now the one burdening Dino with his presence. Like the flick of a switch, he had let himself turn on his irritability.

“Well, considering you’re spending at least some of it disliking me professionally…” Tiana trailed off, giving him a shrug. She stayed quiet as she listened to him, pursing her lips a bit. Okay, maybe he had a point that people didn’t know what they wanted til they saw it, but still. It was childish to hate that they had options. Maybe someone came out with the sole desire for Greek food (or Cajun), seeing something else could do little to sway them. Or maybe they’d do one today and another tomorrow, there were many variables. Either way, things were tough enough without the added hate from someone who should be on the same side. “You’re right, I do work hard. All I wanna do is make my daddy and his memory proud. But I’d never begrudge someone for having the same dreams as me. Nor would I think less if they “fail”.” She even made little air quotes with her fingers. “Cooking is all trial and error after all.”

She paused when he spoke again, translating what he’d said, and once explained, Tiana couldn’t help but blush a bit at her accusation and she looked away, biting her lip as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Oh.” was all she could really say, keeping her gaze away for a moment before she huffed out a breath and deflated a bit, “I don’t know.” She answered honestly, looking back up at him. “All I know is the animosity came off you in waves from the moment I showed up at your doorstep that very first day just to say hello. It’s been pretty obvious you want nothing to do with me, so..”

That small tidbit of knowledge had Dino blinking. A normal blink to anyone else, including Tiana, but it was a reaction to what she had said. He could have said the exact same words to her. He decided he didn't want to dwell on it; it gnawed at something inside him and he wanted to blow away this argument in this moment now, no longer feeling any desire to entertain this debate. Their equal desires produced an affinity, and Dino avoided those. He wanted to squash this matter back into where it belonged and not let his feelings bubble to surface and call for unstable coping mechanisms in copious quantities. He had to latch onto something to move the topic away, and drown back the unwanted sadness and memories that induced them. “And yet here you are; on my doorstep again. You can’t keep away from me.”

“Okay, so a manager. Still! Pretty cool. And I agree–if someone’s managing anything, they should be able to jump in to any position at a moment’s notice, so in your case? The cooking. What kind of food is it? I’ve never even seen so many different types since moving here, it’s admittedly a bit overwhelming.” Lizzie told him with a little laugh. She figured he had a point about the shouting, even if she still wasn’t a fan of it. But oh well, it was his restaurant, he could do whatever he wanted. “Oh, um. Well, sometimes there’s yelling. I work in a hospital in Manhattan.” she pointed to her scrubs, “Not a doctor or a nurse or anything fancy though. Mostly I help wheel patients around, getting medication and equipment needed, things like that. Before that I was a receptionist, and that? That was boring. I probably could’ve used some yelling then!”

“You are right there. I think you can’t manage something you don’t really know yourself.” He paused a moment, eyes lighting up at the mere thought of his food. He doubted that she really cared about the intracicious of the food, so settled on a light answer. “It’s fine-dining mostly Greek dishes, but most of them are seafood. That’s my favourite, you see.” He didn’t mind admitting. “Well that sounds like an honourable job either way. Probably a lot more rewarding than working behind a desk, too.”

“You’ll regret that once we get there,” Demi said before standing out and offering her hand to him. “No questions just follow me. It’s not too far from here.” She smiled at him. “And if you are bored, we can go to a bar or whatever.”

“Alright, alright. No questions.” A soft chuckle left his throat, taking her hand as offered. “But if you are planning on leading me to my death, I really must object and insist on a bar instead.”

“I.. think that may be the case. I tended to keep kinda sheltered from it all with my parents.” she admitted softly with a small shrug. Laughing she shook her head. “Probably wouldn’t stop him, but I mean.. at least it’s something.” Blake shook her head. “I don’t do much charming. I’m not even sure a thug, as you say, would last a few moments of me talking about the children and how I try and save them. Maybe I would juts bore or annoy them away.” She admitted with a small laugh. 

“Well I think that is quite a charming thing. Although, there’s so many devils in this city you are probably right- they wouldn’t be able to find much charming in helping others, not even children.” He gave a small shrug. “Too many people wanting too much. Maybe we need some stars to fall down and take them all out.”

Lizzie gave him a little smile, a little nod in agreement. She found working made things easier. If she was so focused on her job, it gave her less time to focus on herself and all the bad in her life. It made it easier to get through everyday life. “Hell’s Kitchen?” She asked curiously, tilting her head a bit. As he said the name of a famous chef though the lightbulb turned on in her head, recognition practically sparking in her gaze as she grinned, “Oh! Are you a chef then? That’s so cool! Although I’m not too sure about the shouting part. It’s not a nice feeling to be yelled at.” All too often her superiors had to reprimand her for dazing off, especially when she’d first started working here in the city. 

“Not a chef, really. There’s too much to manage for me to be cooking all the time as well, but I still do when I need to. I think any restaurant or cafe owner should be able to cook the dishes they serve. Most of the recipes are my own anyway.” Her comments on being shouted at didn’t exactly tug any guilt in him. “It’s a very tough industry; shouting is just part of the job, whether you’re doing it or listening to it. It’s so noisy in a kitchen you have to yell to be heard. I assume you work somewhere with less of that then?”

Tiana’s expression turned more into a frown as he spoke again and she shook her head, “Why? Wouldn’t it be a much better use of your time if you try to befriend other people and their restaurants? We should be trying to build each other up. This business is hard, hard enough without having to fear someone just as committed and dedicated as you are. I don’t think I pose a threat to you, at least I’m not trying to be. It’s difficult enough moving to a huge city like this and trying to live up to expectations..” She sighed as he continued, feeling like she really wasn’t getting anywhere with him. It seemed she was doomed to be hated by him–at least professionally. “What do you keep calling me? If you’re just insulting me, at least you can do it in a way I can understand.”

“My time is better spent on my own restaurant. Why would I spend it befriending other people and concerning myself with theirs? I don’t consider you a threat; we are very different, but customers are influenced by what is available to them. They don’t know what they want until they see it, which makes any of the eateries along this street a threat. Business is hard in a big city like this, with so many people with so many dreams. If those people fail, then they should try harder next time, just like you and I do.” He was a much stricter and crueler businessman than he was a person at heart. He had lived beneath the cutthroat industry, and now he managed one. He had no intentions of changing the way the world worked, but getting on top of it and being a success in his fathers honour was at the core of his ambitions. The large mans features faltered at the accusation, his head cocking slightly. “κυρία? Madame?” He echoed the word in the tongue they were both speaking. “I wouldn’t insult you, let alone in a way you wouldn’t understand.” His tone seemed to lighten to a more humoured one, finding amusement in feigning offence over her opinion of him. “What kind of man do you take me for?” 

“Nothing wrong with that,” Maui said. “I love food as much as the next guy but I’m a real sucker for seafood,” he admitted. Growing up on an island he ate a lot of it and eating it in New York wasn’t the same but it reminded him of home. “I love the gym! Keeps me pumped up and ready to take on my next adventure.”

Dino made a gesture, covering his heart with his hand, at the mention of seafood. “A man of great taste, I see. You will be very welcome in my restaurant, sir.” He grinned. “I get the impression you have a much harder routine than me. Then again, I’m not training for any adventures. You seem like the kind of man with a lot of stories to tell.”

“Oh…” Jason felt a bit like a fool now. That was a bit of a mouthful to say. He wasn’t even going to attempt it. Instead he took a sip of his own whiskey. “This man’s next drink is on me,” Jason told the bartender.

Dino chuckled from deep in his chest, shaking his head a little. He seemed like a chill enough guy. Anyone that bought him alcohol counted in that category. “Good job everyone just calls me Dino though. Jason and Dino are both a lot easier.”

“Coulda fooled me.” Tiana grumbled out a bit under her breath before she could stop herself. She shook her head then, huffing a bit, “This may come as news to you, but I am not trying to be a threat to your business, Mister Stravopoulos. You do know it is possible for there to be more than one restaurant in the world, right? Besides, we cater to two totally different palates!” She had a little furrow between her brows now, a purse to her lips to match his scowl. “I hate to break it to you, but you don’t own the city. You don’t even own the block.” She’d moved a step closer then, tipping her chin up, keeping her eyes on him and showing she wasn’t backing down. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

This information wasn’t new, or lost on him. He respected all business, especially as he as a boy who came from a family-run business in a small obscure town. He was the type to encourage his underlings to seek bigger roles, and even their own place if he thought they could hack it (which was almost never, but the sentiment stood nonetheless.) His eyebrows twitched, feeling an annoyed inconvenience at her confrontation, and eyeing her face and expression. She was a tough one, he had gathered that already. Her move towards him was met with his own move towards her, albeit less threatening in his attempt than she seemed to be trying. “I’m not friends with any of the other restaurants in this block either. Like I said, business is business. You should be less sensitive about it.” He wasn’t the type to belittle her palate or clientele either- he was far from an elitist of any kind, except that Greek food was of course the best in the world! “I would never even ask you to leave, but I’m not rejoicing in you choosing this place either. I would like to focus on my restaurant alone, and I suggest you do the same for yours, κυρία. As a person, I don’t have any problems with you; I think you’re admirable. Don’t get your personal and business wires crossed.”

“Misunderstand what exactly? That you hate me for no apparent reason besides the fact that we simply have the same dreams and goals?” Tiana asked, trying to tone down the upset and defensiveness in her voice, keeping herself (and her voice) calm- soft even. She didn’t want to start a fight with someone more than twice her size, especially not so late at night after a long day. “You don’t even know me.”

An annoyance laced his tone and tainted his features. It didn’t help that it was so late, and he was so tired. “I do not hate you. I hate competition, and threats to my business.” He tried not to look too harsh, but his had a clear scowl drawn across his brows and he couldn’t do much in the way of diminishing his larger size compared to her. “I like you; I like your goals and dreams. I like anyone with ambitions, like me. I just don’t like that you’ve put them on my doorstep.” Childishly, his thoughts were that he had been here first. She had encroached on his territory, yet from his perspective he saw her as feeling entitlement to it.

“All work and no play for you too?” Lizzie asked the man with a little smile. He was bigger than her, probably should be intimidating, but maybe Lizzie was just too tired to be scared. Or maybe she wasn’t focusing enough on the part of her brain that should be going off with alarm bells. Either way, here she was, okay to stand in the middle of an empty sidewalk talking to a strange man at night. “I’d say maybe you should try and set some time apart, but then I’d be a hypocrite.” she mused, shrugging to herself. “Do you work a job with crazy hours too?” she asked, plucking at her scrubs as if making a point.

“Always, always.” He huffed an amused breath at her comment. He could relate to that- although he almost never recommended people taking time for themselves. He was a firm believer in working through things, and enforced this idea on his staff and pretty much anyone who asked for his advice. “I wouldn’t say a crazy job, but I know some people might think that. Hell’s Kitchen is more realistic than you might imagine. And some people might compare me too Gordon Ramsey, but better looking with less cooking and more shouting.”

Hestia felt rude to laugh but it wasn’t like he was wrong. The girl saw very little of his brothers and then Si - well he blew them out of the water. Looking up she smiled a little more. “Well now you know where Dem lives , so I hope she doesn’t gain a stalker or something.” She teased with a small smile.

Coming to a stop, Dino breathed deeply at their successful walk back to her place. The air was getting just that little bit chilly that it sometimes managed to hit during the summer. “On my honour if you see me here again, I promise I was invited.” He teased with a cheeky glint in his eye. “You take care now, and your sisters too. Feel free to come find me if Si starts misbehaving, alright?”

Blake nodded softly. “It does. But I don’t think it’s just the city. The world it’s self is becoming more and more dark each passing day, sadly.” It was too gloom of a conversation for her to dwell upon so she quickly moved forward. “You look a fool? I hardly doubt that. You’re a man who probably knows a great deal about the stars and all their names. That’s no fools knowledge, Dion.”

“Or it was always kind of crazy and we’re just old enough to notice it all now.” He hummed, nodding shortly in agreement. “Maybe it isn’t. I'm glad you think it's not- but naming the seven sisters probably wouldn’t stop a thug jamming his knife in me. If anything it would probably make him more likely to do it.” The man laughed softly at the idea. “You could probably charm a thug with that kind of knowledge, but I think I would just piss him off.”

Jason stood up straight and tall, trying not to let the larger man intimidate him. He could probably squish Jason like a bug. “Oh yeah? Well, what’s your name then?”

Dino’s nose crumpled up, unmoved by the question as he answered flatly, “Konsantinos Stravopoulos.” He had already had a few glasses of whiskey- which honestly he didn’t enjoy that much, but ordering bottles of wine to himself was just embarrassing.