Alexandria thought herself to be quite good at planning ahead, she had to be when she ran a kitchen with no employees. That, however, did not extend outside of the kitchen. She never seemed to clear the plates off the tables in time for the snootier people, or take the orders quick enough for those on their lunch breaks, or the inevitable "I have 'ALLERGIES'" excuse. So to hopefully circumvent this particular problem she came up with the idea of a set daily menu. So here she was at 7am, standing in her rickety walk-in, with its leaking cooler, (a line of frozen water was steadily making its way down the wall), deciding what todays' menu would be.
Chicken noodle soup.
(The broth was homemade and should defrost quickly. Delivery for produce should arrive shortly.)
Grilled cheese.
(Always a good paring with soup.)
Strawberry walnut salad.
(Again produce should show up soon.)
Salami/pastrami/mortadella sandwich. Hot or cold. With the fixin's.
A fairly simple menu, but easy to fix up in differently to accommodate (in some degree) a persons taste, and help with the lack of planning ability outside of the kitchen. However, today she was going to be tested. And today she was going to fail.
But not in the way you'd expect...
7:46 AM
"That's the last o' it, Boss."
"It's all put away where it should be. Right?"
"Yeah. yeah. Last time they fucked up was last week. Ain't gonna happen again."
"And ALL of it is accounted for?"
"Triple checked it an' all."
"See you next week, Andre" Alexandria shook the giant of a mans hand, grinning as his hand completely enveloped her own. "its good to have you back." Andre beamed back at her, his blacked and missing teeth making for a near ghastly sight, yet the wrinkles around his eyes and the light in them seemed to balance it out.
"Last time I go on vacation, I tell ya." He dropped her hand and made it to the back door in three strides, all the while rumbling on and on, on how his son just can't seem to run a damn business. Alexandria shook her head and began prepping the fruit and veggies for the day.
11:52 AM
"This salad has too much dressing!" Dump salad, weigh lettuce, half the dressi-
"I need my soup to go, I'm running late." Push bowl aside, grab togo cups, top shel-
"Can I get another refill on my coffee!" Grab togo cup, drizzle dressing, stack on forearm, grab coffee pot, flip second pots switch.
"Your salad, half dressing. Extra on side in case" Slide bowl.
"Here's the to go cup." Drop cup and lid next to right hand. "Careful the lids are finicky this batch."
"I got another pot brewing if you need more." Fill two inches below lip. They like creamer.
Alexandria went about clearing the last customers table, pocketing the two dollar tip, wiping down the booth and table with a sanitized rag, balancing the wobbling tray in left hand.
"Excuse me I've been waiting to order for 10 minutes now!" A rather crotchety looking man said huffing in the next booth. Alexandria turned to him and grinned.
"The sign on the door says to ring the bell on the counter. That's where you order."
"Well you're here now, waitress! I want sunny side eggs with bacon and toa-" Alexandria cut the man off.
"We have a set menu on the wall written in very large letters in chalk. You pick from those and modify them if you want." She walked away picking up a cup a child dropped along the way. As she walked by the register she caught sight of a burly looking man wearing a green sweater about to ring the bell.
"I'll be right there." She slid through the door and dumped the dishes on a plastic flat before sliding them into the automated dish washer. (it was really the only thing that worked well here), slid her way to the stove and flipped three grilled cheeses before sliding the toast out from under the salamander with long tongs. She walked back out the sliding door to the Burly Man, just catching sight of the crotchety guy leaving.
"Hi! Menus up top." She pointed to the chalk board. "And I'll add or take away anything you want from the items but that's whats up for today." The burly man glanced up before shifting his gaze down.
"The salad and a pot of coffee."
"A pot? As in 12 cups?" At this the man nodded.
"Gonna need to give me 8 minutes on that one."
"I'll wait."
"Miss! My son dropped his grilled cheese. May we get another?" A family unit of three beckoned from a table near the left wall. Alexandria forced a smile.
"Yes, Ma'am give me one minute." she turned back to Mr. Burly. "$7.20" at this the man cocked a brow.
"The first two coffee refills are free, outside of that I'm losing money." The man pulled a $10 out of his pocket.
"Shrewd business lady." He said it matter-of-factly, a slight smirk on his face.
"Gotta make money somehow." She passed his change and all put ran through the door, getting to the grilled cheese just before it burnt.
1:13 PM
The last table cleared out, and Alexandria rushed the door, flipping the sign to closed before anyone else walked in. Today was busier than planned, but she handled it better then she ever dared thought. Rubbing her face in her hands she blindly made her back into the kitchen to do some cleaning. She only hit one chair along the way. She didn't however notice the burly man from earlier in the furthest booth pulling out a cell phone.
"Party is on boss." Laughter could be heard as he hung up, and began to draw the blinds to the restaurant closed. Alexandria was too busy with the noisy dishwasher to hear the backdoor open, and luck nor timing was on her side as she turned just in time for several people to sneak by her unnoticed. Just as she was stacking the last of the plates she heard it.
Ding!
"Oh dear lord..." Alexandria hung her head.
Ding! Ding! DING!
Alexandria walked towards the dining room about to tell whoever it was to come back in in one hour when she was ready for the dinner rush. But the people sitting in her booths stopped her in her tracks. And the gentleman ringing her bell once again grinned at her.
"Hey Dollface! I'm starving." Joker grinned and rang her bell again "I brought some of my best buds along!" he gestured a gloved hand to the group of Gothams worst. Poison Ivy was sitting next to Harley Quinn, who was giving Alexandria the stink eye. Riddler was sitting across from Mad Hatter, who was also seated next to a one Jonathan Crane, the latter two having their back to her. Mr. Burly was standing next to Joker with a nonchalant expression on his face.
"May I have you're attention PLEASE!" Joker turned on his heel while Alexandria began to step slowly backwards. "Friends, this is... uh." Joker twisted his hand in Alexandria direction silent. Mr. Burly whispered lowly to her to state her name.
"Alexandria Fox." She muttered, hand nursing her head trying to stave off an impending headache. Joker beamed.
"Yeah this is Alex" Alexandria flinched at the nickname slightly. "She's gonna be cooking for our party."
"What party?" the chef looked to Joker.
"Our Freedom party! Normally we go to a fancier place owned by an old friend, buuuut you... Impressed me last night." Joker began to make his was over to Harley and Ivy. He took the bell with him.
"Oh joy, I feel so damn special." Alexandria rolled her eyes. "Get the hell out of my store." Joker seemed to have ignored her.
"Bob! Come here and sit! You're a friend, too. You get to eat!" Mr. Burly, now Mr. Bob went and sat at the table next to Joker, bypassing the seat next to Ivy. "Alex! I want more of those bull eye toast!" Harley stopped her glaring and looked at Joker happily.
"I'll get some, too, Puddin'"
"I'll have a fried liver." Riddler said not bother to make eye contact wither her.
"Time for tea!" Mad Hatter didn't look back either.
"Cobb Salad." Crane stated simply. Ivy gave him a glare.
"Awww, Johnny that's a girl dinner! Liven up it's a party."
"Actually the salad I had was quite good." Bob threw in.
"A glass of water." Ive said boredly. Alexandria began to shake.
"NO!" All eye were suddenly on her. Joker's large grin began to lower into a frown.
"What was that?"
"Fuck. No." Alexandria began to stalk towards Joker. "You come in here last night and DEMOLISHED my stock of eggs. Thank god I had a delivery this morning. You ruined my alarm system. Led the cops here! And let me tell you being this close the Narrows you don't want cops to give potential customers the wrong damn impression." Alexandria leaned forward and gripped the table. "You held me at gun point! You bring MORE Rouges here! You expect me to cook for them whatever the hell they want, and worst of all!" Alexandria pointed a finger at him.
"YOU DIDN'T PAY!" Alexandria pushed herself off the table and pointed at the chalk board. "THAT'S THE OPTIONS FOR TODAY! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET TO PICK FROM!" At this point Alexandria's chest was heaving, and her face began to pick up a red hue. Harley looked ready to kill her, while the other rouges looked at her with mixed expressions of shock, because she just yelled at the Joker, awe because she stood up to the Joker, and amusement, because she was more mad he didn't pay.
"Ahhh, you're right! I almost forgot!" Joker was grinning again. "Bob!" Said Bob stood up and pulled a paper bag from under the table. Opening the crinkled paper he held it in her direction. Inside was money. Lots of crisp, stacked and banded, money.
"That's should cover last night and today." Harley looked at Joker.
"But Puddin' Ya neva' pay for dinner!"
"That's just how good she is." Alexandria looked at the money, sweat beading down her temple.
"That's...alot." Bob closed the bag and left it one the table next to her. That much would help her alot but at what cost?
"Look Toots, I run a business, You run a business, lets have a business meeting." Joker steepled his finger under his sharp chin, the other rouges looking on. "We, come here for eats, and you keep your mouth shut, you've proven you can do that. And in return, we watch your back because eventually Falcone's gonna try to squeeze ya for protection money. All you gotta do is keep cooking." Alexandria laughed, the Rouges looked at her like she was crazy.
"You think I'm gonna do that? Why are you so interested in this little shit hole."
"It's not nice to make fun of yourself. I could do that for you." Joker said.
"Maybe she afraid of you. Or getting caught by that cops." Crane inputted.
"She clearly isn't smart enough to see a good deal." Riddler huffed
"Tea time is nearly come and gone and I still don't have a clean cup!" Hatter mumbled despondently. Alexandria growled in frustration, flinging her hand in the air.
"None of you would hesitate in killing me! Or trying to use me in your schemes!"
"Yeah we would." Joker said giving Alexandria a reason to pause.
"Look Toots, yeah we're 'Crazy'" Joker used finger quotes. "But the thing is we do 'Normal' things too. Johnny boy goes to the library in disguise. Eddy likes to go to this toy shop that sells puzzle toys, Harley here goes lingerie shopping alllll the time." at this Harley smiled for being mentioned. "And we go out to eat on occasion but its always at one spot. That's...boring!" Joker growled out the last word.
"You whoever are not boring." Joker leaned back, and Harley draped half her body on him. "You got Gotham fire in you. You stood up to me, well, all of us now, and that takes guts. It's... refreshing right boys?" at this the other Rouges murmured what sounded like an agreement. "You're not a push over. Just cook for us, Toots. Villains gotta eat too. We wont kill ya." He drew his fingers over his heart "Promise." Alexandria stared at him trying to find any reason to say no, but refusing to cook was a shitty reason to die.
"What if you get caught? I'm not going to jail for you're asses."
"We're here now and I don't hear sirens."
"I could rat you out."
"I saw the way you looked at that money, I'm sure the boys don't mind paying for their meals either." At this Alexandria heart skipped a minute. Money like that could help her more than they possibly knew.
"I don't want protection." Joker raised an eyebrow. "I want workers." Joker laughed.
"Alright. I'll send some of my henchmen over for an interview." Alexandria held her hand out to which he grabbed and shook vigorously. Inhaling to settle her nerves and trying not to doubt herself anymore then she was.
"Okay, Liver gonna take about 20 to be done. It wasn't on the menu today so it's gotta defrost." she began to walk over to the three male rouges, "Cobb salad will take ten, gotta cook bacon and eggs, so be patient."
Both Riddler and Crane nodded. Alexandria looked at the Mad Hatter who was fiddling with a tea cup he must have brought in.
"Luckily for you I do enjoy a cuppa now and then. I have a few to choose from. I'll bring them out for you too choose, okay?" The Mad Hatter lifted his head to respond but hung his mouth open.
"Alice?" Riddler groaned and shook his head, while Crane turned to his friend.
"No Jervis, that's not Alice." Alexandria, now remembering part of the Hatter's madness for blondes, (which unluckily she was), began to make her way to the kitchen. Hoping Joker would keep good on his word.
"But she-" Jervis was cut off.
"T'was brillig in the-" Jonathan began to quote the rhyme as the door to her kitchen swung closed. Alexandria had not been planning on this. Not at all.
Well this is going along quicker than I expected. Sorry for typos but you know who it goes.
S742