Private Finished A new life needs new friends

Broen was very quickly falling into a pattern of habit on Manta Carlos. How could he not? It was essentially the same as life back in Halcyon City, but without the daily possibility of some jackass with a light cannon trying to rob a bank. Not that he didn't miss the hectic blow-by-blow lifestyle he'd led... but it was nice to get to just relax after work rather than suit up and go on patrol every night. What he missed more was the people. His friends. His girlfriend. His mom. They would all keep on living without him. They were strong enough to do that. And he was too. But that didn't mean it still didn't hurt.

And what do we do when we hurt? He heard Travis' words echoing in his head as he finished his shift at the Bear Claw Cafe and Bakery for the evening. The sun was already dipped enough that the streets were cast with long shadows. We tell the hurt to fuck off and go have some fucking fun. That was always the reply, with one of them always sounding off with a hearty 'get therapy' instead. He hadn't found a therapist yet, but he could work with having fun for now.

"Hey!" he called out in the back room where the other employees who were getting off for the day were putting up their smocks and grabbing the stuff they'd set aside for their shifts. The room didn't go quiet, but a few faces turned his way to see what Broen had to say. "I was gonna grab some drinks, maybe some food. If anyone wants to join me. I'll buy the appetizers if you wanna come." He still had flour on his cheeks and some confectioner's sugar stuck under his fingernails, but he was ready to go for the day and he didn't want to just go back to his apartment for another night alone.

"And we have a winner," Broen said with a grin as he wiped away the offending bits of flour from his cheek. "Batter? I mean - better?" A dumb joke. A really dumb joke. But he was trying to be personable and he didn't want to lead with sarcasm. Violet had warned him about that back when they'd been in therapy together.

"Well come on then. We can probably catch the next bus before we have to wait in the cold for the one after. I'll see you guys tomorrow!" He called out to the rest of the cafe as he slipped out the back door.

It was cold, and even colder for how late in the evening it was. He slipped a cigarette from his pocket to smoke while they walked to the bus stop, standing far enough away from Marissa that he didn't blow smoke on her.

"So what are you thinking? There's a place with some pretty decent burgers, but I'm down for anything. I'll eat anything."

Broen was absolutely about to take the half a paint brush when Marissa popped it right into her mouth. Pulling his hand back with a supremely insincere "aw man," he laughed along with her as they waited on the bus to arrive. "Fair enough. Let's say then I'll try anything once. Never met a meal I was too scared to at least make an effort at. Even fried scorpions."

That had been a wild ride, for sure. But he couldn't say no to his friends. It hadn't actually been all that bad: not something he'd go out of his way to cook normally but he'd definitely eat it again. "Glad you've got an appetite, at least. Picky eaters always bugged the hell out of me. A wise space bounty hunter once said, 'hunger is the best spice.'"

As the bus approached, Broen stood to the side to let Marissa get on first. He wasn't anything like a perfect gentleman, but he could get close enough to fool most people.

"Cowboy Bebop," Broen said nonchalantly with a shrug. "It's a TV show. I think they have it here, but I haven't really checked yet. It's about rag tag space bounty hunters. I'm kind of full of pop culture references. Especially bad ones that no one else gets."

He ran his fingers across the scars on the back of his neck absentmindedly while they rode, glancing out the window every so often to check where they were. He didn't think there was a bus stop right by the place, but he could get them close enough that it wouldn't be much of a walk.

"So you're not from this version of Earth either, huh? Are you a fall-in, I think they call em. Or did you come here on purpose?"

"So you had a similar set up to us, then. Well, we fought more than monsters. Costumed asshole was also on the list. But protecting the people using your powers. I can fuckin respect that," Broen said with a grin, opening the door to the restaurant so that they could go in and get sat down to eat.

The restaurant was indeed a little hole I'm the wall place. Minimalist decor, mismatched tables and chairs, and what was on the walls were clearly signs and posters taken from people's personal stashes. But damn if the smells coming from the kitchen weren't fantastic.

"Back home my team and I, we got into all sorts of shit. Super villains, costumed bank robbers, tyrants from outer space, thirty to forty giant boars rampaging down 43rd street."