2014-09-20 - Nico's New Job

It's mid-afternoon and the Runaways have come to San Fran. The food that Nico brought last week lasted a day, and people, they is complaining. Pretty sure that's their jobs sometimes, Nico might be thinking. She's been feeling pretty put upon lately, but since we've all got to eat and not everyone's old enough to GET a job, well...

So Nico walks in the door of the diner. She has her determined look on her face as she looks around, trying to find someone who works here, and she blatantly walks up to the nearest employee and says, "Scuse me, is this place hiring? Like, at all? Temporary, cheaper than minimum wage, anything?"

Kara Zor-El looks over at Nico when she comes up to her. She had just finished a table of four college guys who were regulars at the diner - primarily to annoy her with questions to try to find out of she was the real Supergirl, or a mutant. It was a regular thing - she'd gotten used to it without throwing them out of the diner. Mainly becuase in the past, she won a little bet with them where they promised to always pay a 30 percent tip to the other waitresses. As she turns away to talk to Nico, the quartet starts conversing again about the blonde waitress.

Guy #1: "Okay, so Doug, you're still not sure about if she's Supergirl? Dude, she beat all of us at arm wrestling!"

Guy #3: "So? That doesnt mean-"

Guy #1: "At the same friggin' time."

Guy #3: "Look, I'm not saying she's normal. But she could just be a mutant. A lot of them are a lot stronger than the average guy."

Guy #2: "She doesn't have any fur or a tail or anything, Doug."

Guy #4: "Jerry, not all mutants LOOK like mutants, you racist."

Guy #2: "Hey I'm not a racist. Some of my best friends are mutants!"

Guy #1: *quirking an eyebrow* "Name one."

Guy #2: "Umm...well... oh... Marvin. He can do that thing with rolling his tongue."

Guy #3: "That thing with .... rolling his.... Ok what the hell man? Marvin's not a mutant."

Guy #2: "Sure he is! I mean... mutants. That's just a whole evolutionary gene thing right? And not everyone can roll their tongues. Like only 5 percent of people can. Marvin can. Ergo, he's a mutant."

Guy #1: Jerry, you're an idiot."

Guy #2: Look, all I'm sayin' is I have nothin' against the waitress if she's a mutant, but she doesnt look like a mutant. Like at all.

Guy #4: Well Supergirl is an alien and she doesn't have green skin or antennae. Based on your stance. All things being equal though, I don't think she's Supergirl either. I mean why would Supergirl be working as a waitress."

Guy #3: Uhhhhh to make money? I'm guessing even Kryptonians need to eat and pay rent and stuff right?.

Guy #2: Oh shut up. And how do you know they need to eat? I mean.... I read that interview with that Lois Lane person and Superman and I didnt read anything about them needing to eat.

Guy #1: It didn't say anything about them needing to go to the bathroom either, but I'm pretty sure that-"

Kara turns around to them. "For the love of Rao please don't finish that sentence."

The guys hush up and look at their food.

Then Kara turns back to Nico and rubs the bridge of her nose. "Like I was going to say, I think there could be an opening. I can ask Jim if you want, I'm pretty tight with the owner and some of the waitresses have had to take less hours for school."

Guy #4: (low voice) "Pretty sure Supergirl doesnt get her clothes for free either...."

When Kara turns back to Nico she has a hand gripping into her skirt hem and is visibly biting her lip so as not to comment on the conversation, though she looks like she's half a hemline short of busting a gut at what she's been listening to. Being polite, being nice, she says after a calming breath, "I would...appreciate it. Or I could do it if that's more appropriate, I try to get jobs on my own merit when I can. Just...haven't had that luxury lately."

Kara Zor-El smiles a little. "It's fine. I'm sure Jim can really use another waitress. Even I'm just part-time. Give me a sec, I'll go ask him."

Guy #1: "Part-time so she can fight supervillains."

Guy #4: "Dude, Megan's a part time waitress too. Because she takes classes."

Guy #2: "Yeah, maybe the hot blonde takes classes too."

Guy #4: Earth-Saving 101?

Guy #3: "Heh, that's a good oh crap shush she's coming by."

Kara walks by the four, rolling her eyes a bit, then walks to the cook window and starts talking to the middle-aged italian guy cooking food. She points out at where Nico is, then the guy says something back and Kara smiles and nods before walking back over to Nico. "Actually Jim said he has two positions open for waitresses. I mean it's minimum wage but there's also tips, and they tip really well here, especially the lunch crowd." She looks back at the four college guys, who start looking in their wallets. Then back to Nico. "Jim wanted to know when you'd be able to start and do some sort of .... employment form thing." She rubs her head a bit. "Oh by the way my name's Kara."

Nico Minoru is whispering a bit with the guys when Kara comes back, mentioning that if she IS supergirl, she can probably hear everything you're all saying anyway. She turns to Kara quickly enough though, "Just being friendly," she says, almost apologetically. "Sorry I wasn't going to take your tips or anything. I was really hoping to be able to give it a try now, my family tends to move pretty quick, but I can go convince them to hang in San Fran for a week if there's a steady job for a short time." She stands up a little straighter; the more she talks, the more confident she appears. She sticks out her hand, biting her lower lip a little. "Nico, sorry. I should have started with that."

The guys have had that talk about how 'Supergirl' would have heard everything they said anyway. But Kara barely seems to pay their attention any mind. Or at least, she tries to not show it. When she comes back, Kara shakes her head. "Oh don't worry about me and tips." She looks around then whispers, "Technically speaking I don't really need the salary at all - I tend to just give my tips to the other waitresses. I just like the job." Still no sign that she's Supergirl. She hasnt gone flying around or whatever.

She tilts her head. "Sooooo let me just take you in the back and get you a uniform and I'll show you the ropes, unless you've done this before? It's pretty simple honestly."

Nico Minoru lets the hem of her skirt go, starting to relax a little. The girl says, "I've done a bit, this is my second time waitressing. Not my best job in the world and I'd love to know the specifics of this particular place, keep me from starting out with getting lost in the bathroom or something." She isn't smiling on that comment, as if she actually had done it last time.

"Where do I start? And can I get an apron? I can't afford to buy one and I don't do side work for the owner for the privilege of having a job." She adds the last bit much more quietly, but still firm. She eyes the door quickly, just making sure she can run, just in case. She's making sure her exits are clear, a habit you find in people with bad histories.

Kara Zor-El smiles as she waits for Nico to put on the apron. "Side work? What?" Kara looks confused about that. "Uh.... pretty sure Jim doesn't require any additional work to use the uniform." Kara watches Nico's motions. "Er... everything okay?" she asks, noticing that the girl's heartbeat and perspiration levels were also heightened, like she was nervous. She mentions, "It's really nothing to be nervous about, you know Nico. It doesnt take long to memorize the menu, and the customers are all nice. Even the college guys. I mean the balancing the dishes takes a little getting used to, I guess. But other than that..." She peers again. "You're not like... in any sort of trouble are you?"

Nico Minoru shakes her head immediately. She tugs her hem again then forces herself to let go. Firm sign of stress in her, apparently. "I can handle the menu, Kara. I've been asked for personal requests in order to get a job before is all. Adults are not proving to be huge on my trust-o-meter in life." A deep breath, and she looks firmly into Kara's eyes, her expression stone with a side order of pushing a smile to the surface. "I won't let you or Jim down. We just need money for food and I'm here to work. I'll work hard and I don't care if you're supergirl or not. Whatever that actually means..."

Kara Zor-El frowns. "Well Jim's not like that. Don't worry." She tilts her head. "Sooo you don't know what that means? Supergirl, I mean?"

Nico Minoru rolls her eyes, just a tiny bit. "Everyone knows who Supergirl is," she says, leaning against the wall a little and crossing her arms. "And nobody does. Assume for ten seconds give or take a minute. You are Supergirl. What have I learned? One, I don't know you yet. No change there. Two, you're probably tougher than I am." She flexes her right arm, showing teeny bicep. "I am going with you've been nice to me so far and it just don't matter unless you being here also means we're about to have to fight Magneto or something."

Nico has a look around the diner for Magneto, looking a little bit amused.

Kara Zor-El smiles a little and shrugs. "Well don't be worried about me. Besides, I'm tougher than most people are. Not really sure who Magneto is though." She sits down with Nico at a table and goes over the menu with her, since there arent any tables currently needing waitresses yet.

Nico Minoru slips into the seat with Kara Zor-El and starts working on the patterns as well as she can. She hasn't got the best memory and admits right off that she's only done this once, and she's going to need to use a pad to write down orders. Even simple ones. She tries to focus though, taking the job seriously. Far more adult than she should be at her age, she asks questions about the menu choices. "Do you get people asking for vegetarian dishes? And I got someone asking last time where the meat comes from, like I know where they raised the cows..."

Kara Zor-El shrugs a little. "I'm pretty sure Jim's the opposite of vegetarian. Even the salad has bits of chicken in it. And most people don't seem to ask me that much about the food, honestly. It's mainly burgers and hot dogs and chicken and stuff like that."

Nico Minoru huh. "Sorry...I'm used to, y'know, Thai food and sushi next to an In n Out burger with a noodle joint literally in the same building. Los Angeles is kind of an all foods you can think of, you got it all day, all night and seven types you never heard of even if you grew up there. I kind of asked my server at a Korean place once if I could get a turkish stir-fry. And they actually made me one."

Kara Zor-El nods a little. "Ok then. So... just a little hint. Those four guys there? I sort of made a little bet with them a few months ago, and any waitress they have they have to pay 30 percent for the tip, so.... if they're around, I'll make sure you can get their table if money's tight for you, okay?"

Nico Minoru's eyes show a bit of honest gratitude through the girl's defenses, and she squeezes Supergirl's hand just a little. "Guess you are Supergirl, in a way," she says, not even referring to the icon the world knows, as she realizes she's going to have food for the kids tonight. "I hear she works around here, y'know." Kara Zor-El nods a little and shrugs. "Well... in a way, as in that I really am Supergirl, yeah." She smiles. Then looks at her again. "Let me know if you need anything okay? I was going to actually head out after I finish training you."

Nico Minoru pauses. She raises an eyebrow, then glances at Kara's chest where the big "S" would be, then back to her eyes. Then she adds, "Y'know, I can believe that. Just...can we go over the drinks one more time?"

Kara Zor-El smiles and nods patiently, giving Nico the help she needs. Even if it does keep her a bit longer than planned, but it's nice to meet the person you're helping sometimes. She doesn't get to do that often enough; it's usually off to the next emergency and no time for talking. Besides, she seems like a good kid.

And Kara gets a gift as she leaves for the evening as well: unexpected, but as Nico is taking her first table, she hears the girl answer the guest's query about Supergirl working here with "Sorry, you just missed her. Trust me though, you're in good hands. Trained by the best."