𝚖𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗𝚣𝚒𝚎 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚎 (concealment) wrote in worldsapart_ic, @ 2019-04-21 21:31:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | marie roque, mckenzie greene |
It’s Cajun French anyway
WHO: McKenzie Greene & Marie Roque
WHAT: McKenzie tries something new, meets an enchanting woman and gets a job.
WHERE: Boudin
WHEN: Wed; 17th. April 2019
RATING: PGish
STATUS: Complete
Typically, McKenzie wasn’t the sort to complain; not about work, about minding Fisher, about the moon, about his friends, nothing really. He didn’t like to be a burden or any kind of nuisance, which tended to mean he just went with whatever was happening. The less attention on him at once, the better.
But with Fisher getting more and more active, and his mom working as much as she did, he was starting to think he needed something a little more steady than his three to four part time seasonal jobs. As much as he might like sitting by sick animals and helping them get better, he wasn’t exactly loving the tours or construction work.
And he really needed to think about saving to move out of his grandparents house.
He’d just been walking through town, grabbing a coffee at his usual place before heading home when he spotted the place -he’d been in L.A long enough now to know new places when they were finished up, especially since the place used to be something else. A quick question about the restaurant told him that it’d opened up a month or two ago, fairly popular, but still newish.
Figuring he had little to lose, McKenzie crossed the road to head inside, see if they were looking for some staff, something that could maybe be less uncertain for him to actually earn some money.
Business had been lit, let's just say - out here in Cali, about as far as you could get from her homeland (well, it felt that way), Marie didn't know how much people would appreciate actual flavored cuisine (lately it was those hipster fuckhole restaurants that popped up with avocado on their toast that cost, what, twenty damn dollars?) but she thought the reception had gone surprisingly well. She was proud of her hole-in-the-wall shindig, proud of her food, proud of her heritage. Sometimes it meant doing things like waiting tables or washing dishes, but it wasn't as if she was above that - besides, it kept her out of trouble.
Mostly.
Like right now, she could picture herself getting into a little trouble, as she observed some eye candy that found his way to her establishment - wasn't he just très adorable? Emerging from the kitchen wearing jeans and an apron thrown over her t-shirt, pink-streaked hair swept back from her face with a headband, she went over to the newcomer and offered a bright, beatific smile.
“Bonjour, handsome,” she greeted. “Welcome to Boudin. Just one today?"
“Hi,” he had admit that it all smelled absolutely amazing. Cajun food wasn’t something he could say that he was well versed in, he might’ve had imitation Cajun food at some point, but he would in no way claim knowledge in any way shape or form.
And maybe it was better to sit, eat something and figure out if he could work into the conversation that he was looking for a job, “Um, yes, just me.” It wasn’t like he’d already eaten, and he had the type of appetite that could always use feeding up. It’d be a good way for him to get a bit of an idea on if the smells or whatever else might bug his nose too.
Not to worry, Marie would take care of this one herself - she had a small waitstaff that could use more people (nothing ostentatious, since Boudin was meant to be casual) but she just liked the look of him. And his bone structure - such a pretty face, he probably got complimented all the time.
“Right this way,” she headed off to show her newest customer to a table, after grabbing a menu - both drink menu and the lunch menu, which showcased the specials. “While I get you a drink, you can ponder what you want to eat. Specials today are rabbit ragout, and also the red beans and rice - comes with homemade cornbread.”
She was all set to take his drink order, leaning over the table to drop off rolled silverware as well - can’t forget that. “Let me know if you need assistance with the names - they are a little tricky,” she winked.
McKenzie didn’t visit many fancy restaurants, and he wouldn’t say this place was overly fancy, but when he tended to just stop in, mostly unprepared for a place, somewhere that wasn’t just a basic cafe, he tended to be use to the odd stares or fairly unfriendly, going through the motions staff.
That certainly wasn’t the case right now, and McKenzie already felt rather laid back about the impromptu lunch for one sort of deal. It was just as well she offered to help with the names too, since very few of them actually made sense to McKenzie, “Can I just have a water, please.” He offered a slightly crooked smile, half laughing off the wink.
“I will not say no to help with these, I failed my basic French for a reason.” And he wasn’t sure what ragout was, but it had rabbit and that was not something he often got to eat (outside of a full moon), but some more options wouldn’t be sniffed at. “Do you have any recommendations? Aside from the specials, I mean.”
Marie chuckled, but not in a condescending sort of way - it was sweet, like summer rain. “It’s Cajun French anyway, and Parisians turn their nose up at it,” she scoffed teasingly, reaching for the pencil she had tucked away to point out a few things. “It does not sound like French-French.”
That was exactly why she’d offered to help with the pronunciations. Many tried and butchered the Cajun accent, which was a unique sort of bird. It was just as hodgepodge and eclectic as the city itself. “But let’s see...”
What did she recommend? Now, that was the question, wasn’t it. She was perfumed with the scent of fresh greens and the spices she cooked with - cayenne, paprika, pepper, as she leaned in to study the menu. “Étouffée - “ Which was pronounced ay-too-fay, you’re welcome, “...is seafood stew over rice. Jambalaya is kind of like the Spanish paella, it’s a one-pot dish with sausage, shellfish, celery, and rice. I also recommend alligator gumbo or the po’boy sandwich for lunch - served hot, stuffed with fried seafood.”
“Don’t Parisians turn their nose up at everything?” A light joke, just to go with the tone of things, but at the same time he was pretty sure that those Paris folks were pretty snotty about things. Although it was good to know that even if he knew French, he likely wouldn’t know this French.
Normally, McKenzie would lean away from anyone in his space, purely because it took him some time to get comfortable with people. But he already felt fairly comfortable, the atmosphere, and his waitress just felt friendly enough to not need to put in the distance, letting him stay mostly open and engaged.
“I’ve never had alligator,” which probably wasn’t something unusual, it was most likely a regional thing, “what’s that like?” He was tempted to try it, but unsure if it was smart to have something he didn’t like rather than something he knew he’d be able to eat.
“Oui, they do turn their nose up at everything - but they are missing out,” Marie grinned, her smile tilting toward more of a playful little smirk. “Alligator gumbo is one of my favorites.” Truly, it was - she hadn’t even been turned off as a child by something so exotic. She’d go with her parents to the butcher and market, a little corner store that looked like a shack with a bright fleur-de-lis painted on the side, and there they’d buy all sorts of things for the restaurant recipes.
“The edible part is the tail meat, it has a very subtle flavor, and combined with the andouille sausage and the spices in the gumbo - “ There she went, pantomiming a chef’s kiss. “The texture is firm but delicate. Are you feeling adventurous today?” she asked teasingly.
He kinda figured that if he was going to hedge his bets about maybe asking about a job, he might as well step out of his comfort zone and try something a little different. And it was always good to take a staff members recommendations. “Yeah, I guess I should give it a go, right?”
There was no point in not seeing if he liked it if he was hoping to be around it a lot more. “I should try more new things, live a little.” He gave her a lopsided smile, crossing his hands over one another on the table.
Indeed, live a little. The motto of Boudin was laissez les bon temps rouler, which meant ‘let the good times roll.’ Marie was all about that - it was pleasing to see that her newest customer didn’t shy away from an exotic sort of dish either (or at least, it was exotic if all you ate was boiled chicken and burgers, bleh).
Besides, that crooked little smile of his was very charming - though Marie had a feeling that he was oblivious to that. And wasn’t even trying, bless him.
“I agree completely, mon cher,” she nodded. “Let me get that for you then, plus a water. Be right back.” Another grin was sent his way before she turned and headed back to the kitchen. The water was brought out first - in case he was thirsty - and then she returned to ladle some of that fragrant gumbo over rice and bring out a bowl.
The stock itself was flavored strongly, but add the celery, peppers, onions, and the meat plus the thickener (called the roux, always required) - well, it was an explosion of all sorts of delicious things on the tastebuds. “Here you go, cher,” she set it down at the table. “Let me know if you need anything else, okay?”
Even if the food wasn’t his taste, McKenzie could easily say that it was a laid back place to be. Nothing was too loud, and while the scents and flavours were already hitting his senses, it wasn’t the cloying atmosphere of the bars or some of the magic shops and the like.
He sipped on his water while he waited for the food, taking in his surroundings and having a little nosy at the decor, before the pretty woman returned with his alligator gumbo. He knew Fisher would laugh at him for eating alligator, but she was the one telling him he was boring after all.
For a moment, he considered just eating, letting his server go and trying his food, but it wasn’t like eating was the only thing he was here to do. “Hey um, weird question maybe but… are you guys hiring?”
Poking a little at the rice, McKenzie tried to offset the awkwardness of asking by taking probably too big a forkful, a little hot on the tongue and not at all helpful to talking, since his grandma would explode in embarrassment if he spoke with a mouthful.
Honestly not the weirdest question Marie had ever received. She had been all set to scoot back into the kitchen and keep watchful amber-colored eyes on this handsome, high cheek-boned biscuit, but his inquiry had her doing an about face.
“We are, in fact,” she replied brightly. “I am Marie, I own this place.” So ‘you guys’ would mainly be, well, her. How fortuitous!
Retrieving her trusty pencil again, she removed the writing pad from her apron and sat at the table. Talk and eat, bébé, no problems there. “I’ll ask you a few questions now, to see if you’d be a good fit. First question - are you single?” Her expression was tilted toward a little smirk, with all the ‘bold as brass’ enthusiasm a succubus could offer. Mostly she just wanted to see the expression on his face in turn.
“Mais oui, really, tell me about yourself a little. Like your name and some background.”
The blush that was steadily dying down on his cheeks flared up, a trigger he’d never gotten control of, but he did at least manage to not go with the blushing virgin thing and duck his head to avoid Marie’s eyes. “Um, yes?” Probably not entirely surprising in this day and age, when people being single was just a thing and pairing up out of high school didn’t happen.
Since Marie just took a seat, he took smaller forkfuls so that he didn’t have a mouthful of food while talking, “I’m McKenzie, I’m 23, um. I’ve been working construction and the odd job here and there, but I’d rather something stable, y’know?” He wasn’t really sure how this whole ‘background’ worked, since he’d never really applied for a job, the ones he had were mostly just show up and do something.
Was probably why his pay was terrible.
“A pleasure to meet you, McKenzie.” Marie was dutifully taking notes (and oh, she didn’t even need to write down the single thing - because that could easily be remembered). “Oui, I know what it’s like to want something stable.”
Her grifting ‘business’ - while lucrative, and something she worked well to con happy tourists out of their cash - wasn’t something she could have gone with on a long term basis. It was just something to boost her up to this point, owning a restaurant where she could share her recipes with Cajun-starved Los Angeles.
But yes, now to find out what this biscuit had to offer her restaurant. “Were you looking for a job mixing drinks - more of a bartending thing? Or a server?” she asked. “I’ve also got dishwasher open.” Back of the house was part of the tip pool, so he’d still be able to earn a nice chunk of change with that too.
Needing something stable, something that could be relied on was part of standing on his own, and that was hopefully something that would come from having a better grasp on his own independence. Not out of the pack, just on his own in that small way. “I don’t really mind, honestly. I worked at a diner when I was living with my mom, doing dishes, and I don’t mind it. But I’m pretty flexible.”
McKenzie didn’t mind trying new things, trying something different was the only way to find something that interested him. “Hours wise too, I mean, I can pretty much make it work.” It might mean shuffling things with his sister, but that wasn’t too hard to do, provided he was still around enough to dote on her she’d understand.
“I um… I should mention that I’m a werewolf,” he watched her a little carefully, although he wasn’t getting human-and-judgey vibes. “In case it’s an issue with anyone else.”
“It’s a small place, Boudin is not meant to...blow up,” Marie replied. “So we can have you doing different things.” Her parents restaurant in the French Quarter was a small place too, but everything was homemade and served with pride. She very much wanted Boudin to be the same way. “Serving, dishwashing, bussing tables...”
At the mention of McKenzie being a werewolf, she stopped scratching down notes for a moment and lifted an eyebrow. “No one else needs to know unless you choose to tell them, hm?” Or at least, she definitely wouldn’t be blabbing that secret. “I am something too...not a werewolf.”
Oh, and she would be glad to show him the extent of her skills. Never fear.
He was pretty sure he’d do better with being moved around, he wasn’t always the most social person, least of all when compared to his friends, but he didn’t mind making idle conversation from time to time, he wouldn’t always be content to mind his own business in the back of shop and just clean away. Somedays, of course, especially right after a moon, but not always.
“I usually, I mean, I’m not overly obvious or vocal about it, I just wouldn’t want to cause trouble.” He’d driven Kitty to and from some of her protests and rallys, but he’d never been comfortable taking part. Big shouting crowds weren’t his thing. “I sort of knew you were something. Not human I mean, I just don’t know what.”
He wasn’t exposed to much, he knew vampires because of the slowed heart rate, slowed to the point where you could be in a room with one for an hour and hear nothing sometimes. “That came out way more rude than I intended, I’m sorry.” Which was an occasional problem, “I just mean, I don’t think I’ve met anyone like you before.” Possibly in more ways than one.
“I doubt that you have,” Marie agreed, her voice all smoke and mirrors, meant for midnight. But still carrying a hint of amusement at the observation - and she chuckled, a sloe-gin drop of lashes. “And I doubt that you’ll cause trouble, mon cher.”
How very sweet of him to be concerned about it though. But oh, she was just so intrigued now - a virgin, in the succubus sense? Clearly McKenzie had never met one before. She would enjoy this.
“When would you like to start?” she asked, tapping the end of her pencil gently on the table. She’d create a schedule for him, mix it up, show him how to do everything from bussing tables to maybe even helping her out with some of the recipes - but that was at the top, best to begin, well, at the beginning.
He was really getting the impression that his kind of trouble wasn’t close to Marie’s kind of trouble, but that probably wasn’t the bad thing. “Um, I think I need to give a weeks notice with the tour company, but that’s just weekends.” Since he was just when and as required elsewhere, it wasn’t like he needed to hand in a resignation or anything.
But he already had a tour assigned for next weekend, because they were all booked in advance, so that was the only concern. “I um… I shouldn’t work right before or right after full moons, but I can keep back days if you need me to so I can use them then?”
“It’s no problem, I’ll be sure to schedule you around full moons,” Marie promised. She imagined it must be difficult to transform and also recover from those transformations - a werewolf had never been on her payroll before, so this would be a learning experience for them both.
Writing down her personal cell phone number, she tore off the piece of paper from the pad, folded it, and handed it over. “And...in case you need to call or text me. About anything that’s not work-related.”
He seemed so shy she wasn’t sure if he’d use her number for the purposes she was intending, but she’d see what happened. Either way, she was intrigued. “You enjoy that gumbo, mon cher, and I’ll see you in two weeks.” Hopefully before then too.
It seemed a whole lot easier than he would’ve thought it would be, maybe because of how friendly and breezy Marie was about things, but McKenzie had a pretty good feeling about this, and Marie seemed openly accommodating.
He made a point in folding the paper with her number on it up, slipping it into his pocket, already wondering if he’d work up to actually using it other than to check in for shifts or anything.
Maybe if he was feeling a little brave after this month’s moon.