2024-11-27 - The Vending Machine Connection

The break room is a buzzing little place for the numerous employees that are on shift; today is no exception. There are people lounging, reading, ignoring the world with headsets on, taking advantage of the entertainment here or, like Jett, shaking and pounding on the vending machine that sticks the option he chose: a bag of those mini chocolate chip cookies.

Jett is wearing his park uniform which of course suggests he's on shift though it contrasts loudly with his black hair and black painted nails. He does stick to his goth aesthetic as much as he can without incurring the wrath of the uppers, which means there's some fish net sleeves poking out from his uniform at the most. He accessorizes in full so as he's shaking the vending machine, parts of him rattle as necklaces of various types and bracelets, some of metal work, jangle together.

The shaking does not result in his snack being freed and he does that whole eyes to the sky clawed hands frustration that begs for a yell but in here he clips down and saves it in his stomach for another time. He rolls a hand bejeweled with rings through his black hair as if that is a soothing motion for him as he does some self talk by the way his hands flip to palm down and he is pumping the breaks with them.

He presses the button to release his cookies; beep boop.

Again nothing happens.

"OH come on!!" RATTLE RATTLE KICK.

It's around the time of Jett's outburst that half a Bard appears from around the corner. Ty seems to have passed by the lockers on his way to the break room as his usual poofy sleeved doublet has been left behind for now, allowing him to actually breathe freely in a plain white undershirt. A few necklaces of varying lengths are layered atop it, the shortest of which is a thin cord of suede serving as a choker. The bottom half of his outfit is all purple and blue brocade pantaloons and tall boots and tights. It's a vibe.

His eyes flick to the machine in question-- the bad one. It has a rep for swallowing quarters and barely dispensing snacks. With a wrapped burrito in one hand, he reaches out with his other and whacks the side of the machine. Fonzie style.

Absolutely nothing happens.

"Huh. Usually that works?" He grimaces, then quickly offers Jett an apologetic grin and holds up the burrito. "I'll split this with you if you want?"

Jett sees the flash of purple and blue brocade pantaloons in the corner of his eye, pivoting his proverbial emo kid face around to see who was on the other end of those tights; if it was his friend he was going to get mercilessly teased. The black powder and guy liner around his eyes becomes far more expressive as his eyes do this half-lidded exasperated gaze that settles on Ty. Lip ring twitches a bit as he does try not to immediately smirk over the vibe.

He takes a step back at the Fonzie style whack the bad machine takes and ultimately doesn't respond to. Jett puts his hands on his hips, regarding the way the coil hangs onto the little packet of cookie goodness; what a fiend!

The hoisted burrito all but instigates the grumbling off set in Jett's stomach, to which his one hand slides to hold. "I'd owe you one. I don't have time to get into the dinning hall," likely excuse. He's probably too cheap to pay for a meal today. Probably. Though his eyes wistfully turn back to the vending machine, "I'm out of change."

He looks around the break room and scowls, "If anyone gets these cookies out, they're MINE alright!?" Not that he expects to ever get his dollar fifty back.

Jett flashes a look back to Ty, offering a half cranked smile, something that sits half on one side of his lips and is more a smirk than not, "I'm Jett by the way."

Kennedy's actually been here at one of the tables - one of those with earbuds in, ignoring the world while she sprawls low in her seat, ankles crossed, phone in one hand and a sandwich in the other that she occasionally takes bites from. Her coveralls and those heavy boots definitely mark her as one of the unseen wonderstaff, if the tool bag at her feet, battered but holding strong, didn't give it away.

The wings are a little weird, but it's Spellbound, it's fiiiine.

Jet's stifled cry of frustration and the glint of metals do finally catch her eye, and she sneaks a glance over, watching for a half-second before she surreptitiously removes one of her earbuds, straightening in her seat. She clearly hesitates for a moment, looking grumpy, before she sets her sandwich down and hooks digs into her bag for a notepad, pulling a marker from her chest pocket and scribbling a note. Rising, she starts walking over towards the vending machine, hands in pockets, wings closing up around her to form a leathery sort of corset. Like Ty, she slaps the vending machine against its side, right near the buttons and oh, would you look at that, the display starts flashing unintelligibly.

"Ouch. Yeah. It's definitely broken." She says in a voice that tries (badly) to sound surprised and sympathetic, before taping the OUT OF ORDER note she wrote right over the pay slot. "Guess they'll really need to call the company to fix it." A nervous glance towards Jett and Ty, and an awkward smile, "I've got an apple and banana if you want?" She offers as well.

If there's a LOOK Ty's getting for his costume, he doesn't quite register it-- probably because lord everyone's out here giving him a look on account of being a medieval bard in a theme park.

But it's lunch time and he's nothing but a well of empathy when it comes to food. "All good! I can barely finish these anyway, so really you're saving half a burrito from getting wasted." He gives the machine another glance, then grins back at Jett. "Yeah unfortunately all my change is in my other pair of tights. Also. No pockets."

Jett's warning about the cookies has Ty laughing under his breath. "Come on, let's feed you before you turn into a literal gremlin. I'm Ty." He's about to head over to the condiment table to snag a plate when Kennedy arrives to Fonzie the machine too. His brows lift in idle curiosity when the display flashes. "Oh yeah, it's super broken." Off he goes to pick up some plastic cutlery, looking over his shoulder at her. "Wanna join us?"

"Thanks man," he easily reiterates his gratitude because when a belly is grumbling it is grumbling. Jett cannot help but guffaw immediately after Ty's retort about the other pair of tights but before he can remark back Kennedy with her wings (not the craziest thing around but definitely worth a double look) comes to smack the machine also.

"I think the machine is enjoying this now," Jett says with a drawl of amusement as another smack turns up with no results. No cookies for him! His eyes flash over Kennedy once more as she applies the token out of order note to the machine and his eyes roll, "Man. I really wanted those." His hand whisks through his hair again and he lets his head hang at a tilt, a devastating tilt. Pout.

His lips quirk further at Ty's remark about becoming a gremlin but it's to Kennedy he responds to first, "I'd take a banana." The super broke machine is scowled at once more before he looks for an open table, and spies the probable location of where Kennedy came from, "Or we could join you."

From the multiple blinks at Ty's suggestion, clearly Kennedy wasn't expecting the easy offer to join them. She glances at them and back to her seat, floundering-- and then looks faintly relieved when Jett both accepts the banana and mentions joining her.

"Yeah, that." She immediately agrees, before one thumb jerks back towards her table, "I mean-- yeah, that, I've already got a table. With stuff. And chairs, you can sit with me in the chairs. Sorry about your cookies?" From the cringe when she says it, Kennedy is well aware of herself. "We get a lot of requests about that machine, but technically another company owns it so we can't fix it." Hands jam back into her pocket as she heads towards the table, glancing back to make sure the pair are following her. "I'm Kennedy, by the way."

"Someone's like always baking fresh-ass cookies back at the apartments. I'm sure you can do better, Jett," Ty teases lightly. He's caught holding the paper plate and plastic knife as Kennedy looks here, there, and yonder, then seems to understand that they should be joining her. "Oh yeah! For sure." Whoops.

He seems easygoing enough and just smiles as he heads over to take a seat at her table. "Chairs are good," he agrees. "Necessary things, chairs." The wrapped burrito gets set on the plate, then he starts to saw it in two as he listens. "I'm sure one of these days someone with telekinesis is just gonna yank everything out and it'll be a free for all. People need their snacks, y'know?" His knife bites the plate, signaling a job well done.

Turning to Jett, he holds up both halves of roughly equal proportion and gives the other man the option of which he'd like.

"Are we in the apartments? Right now? Are we?" Jett banters back with a scathing sarcastic teasing tone, before he proceeds to ask, "Someone like who exactly? Do you have their number?" Jett wonders with an almost too golden retriever response to fit into his emo little soul, "Hook me up here Ty. If you got the cookie intel don't leave me hanging!"

Jett ambles over to the table with his weight on his back heels, leading with hips in a sway that registers some swag. It's probably just the way he walks, he is after all, a smooth operator! Har har. Jett shrugs his shoulders at the cookies, "I'll stick my number on the note and they can refund me the money." Because a dolla fiddy is important! He slides into one of the chairs as Kennedy offers her name, "This is Ty in tights, and I'm Jett." In case she didn't pick that up before since ear buds and all that.

Jett checks his watch, of which he wears a watch, probably stolen, probably ended up in the lost and found, probably not something he could afford! But after he checks such a flashy old timer's wrist watch he seems to assess that he has time enough left. "Someone needs to be hired to walk around with snacks," he chips in for what it is worth.

His eyes flash to the two halves and he'll go for the one that Ty didn't leave a bite mark in, nodding his thanks again. "I had this guy on the balloon game that kept me late for break," he tries to appeal to the emotions here as to why he's not going to the dinning hall, "He refused to budge off that game. Sooooo many trade ups involved. I think I could see the steam coming out of his ears when I pointed to the 'actual' prizes he won and not the giant bear he wanted."

Kennedy falls back into her seat - what she lacks in swagger she makes up for in...slouching? Though she's leaning forward onto the table instead of back, now that she's got company, and her wings remain in corset form. She unzips her lunch bag, pulling out the proffered fruit and setting it down in front of Jett. "I'm already fighting for my life against all the sugar around here. The magic is a mystery, but I think nobody talks about the conspiracy between theme parks and the dental industry." Kennedy jokes(?), picking up her sandwich and glancing at the other two behind her lashes.

There is a wince at Jett's story, Kennedy shaking her head, "I am so glad I don't need to deal with people. Potential death by electrocution, way, way worth it not to deal with customers. Or work in front of them." Her attention goes towards Ty, leaning to take in the tights again, "How do you not just sweat through everything you own? Could not deal with people staring at me all the time." Says the lady with wings.

Ty merely giggles in the face of Jett's sarcastic tone, finding it thoroughly delightful. "Yes! Sully. He's one of my roommates and he loves baking. The other day he made a cake with a mirror glaze. Just don't ask me what that is other than delicious. We're in apartment 201, come over whenever."

Oh yes, bad at intros. Ty nods at his moniker, including the bit about tights. Nothing to fight there. "Nice to meet you, Kennedy. So you're in mechanical? Like just small things or rides and stuff too?" Her mention of a conspiracy between theme parks and dental has him nodding in agreement. "Follow the money."

For the record, neither halves have a bite mark in them. Jett's safe. Ty unwraps his portion and process to level swift destruction upon his burrito. "Mm," he says after swallowing, "was it the same dude that camps in front of the skee-ball machine for hours and hours? I think I've seen him."

But the conversation turns back to him and he just shrugs a shoulder amiably. "You get used to it. I do kinda sweat all the time but no one seems to notice since they're all sweating? And I was in a band back home so kinda okay with being around people and...like, I guess being on the whole time? You have to compartmentalize, I suppose. When I'm on stage at the Bard's Balcony here I go into Sir Ty mode. So I don't feel half as silly. He doesn't mind the staring."

"Warn Sully," Jett abruptly advises, "He'll need to make another plate." Apparently Jett has a sweet tooth. Jett pointed notes, "Whenever. Got it. When the 3 am munchies hit I can knock on your door and get a slice of cake. I like this arrangement already." No doubt Jett will take Ty up on that offer!

Jett will take another unabashed look at the wings that are acting as Kennedy's corset structure. He's looking at the wings okay! Eyes pop up from there when Kennedy explains fighting for her life with the sugar, and Ty's take on it which earns another little snorting snicker from Jett. He waits to hear what Kennedy has to say as he mows down the first bite of the burrito - not without the appropriate and sudden gratitude groan! Man was starving!

"Eh people are easy to deal with when they want to win a stuffie for their friends or whatever," Jett states with an ease that suggests he's decent at customer service, "The tough guys just want to prove they can play the game as well as I do." There's a little spark in his eyes as he grins, "They're my best customers."

"Nah, that guy is harmless," Jett says around his burrito chewing, "This one looked like a one day go getter. His girlfriend eventually pried him away after they won the large. That's different from the extra large," he points with a finger, then swallows. "This is good," a wave of the burrito.

He eats with exceptionally large bites but it takes him a while to chew, so he listens to how Ty responds to matter of tights. His eyes go almost into half moon shapes as he holds back a giggle as he's eating because of the Sir Ty thing. Once he has space to breathe and not effectively choke, he asks, "Sir Ty? That's royal AF. What do you on stage with that?"

"Yeah. Electric systems, mostly. A lot of it's lights, honestly." Kennedy understates to her sandwich before she has another large bite. It's a simple sandwich, some deli meat and cheese with a condiment of some kind, on healthy-ish sliced bread. "Vehicles and stuff only if there's literally no one else. HVAC in a pinch - I'm not licensed for it but the guy I apprenticed under did electric and HVAC, so I picked up some stuff. Just didn't wanna put in the classroom hours for both licenses." Kennedy's grimace at the thought passes quickly, at least, before she grabs an apple, holding it up with a glance at Ty, clearly offering him dibs if he wants.

It does mean she doesn't notice Jett's staring! The wings are small, but not so small they make a simple corset - the ends of the wings hang a bit, like some sort of fringe-skirt. Which obviously goes well with the utilitarian coveralls. All three people at this table are suffering/thriving from a conflict of fashion and function.

She focuses on finishing off her sandwich while the two swap tales of repeat customers and stage experiences, shaking her head, "Nightmare. Sitch." She stresses to tales of staring and royalty, before admitting with a half-smile "But it's fun all the actors and musicians when I'm out."

Ty snappoints at Jett when it comes to warning Sully. "You got it." He seems totally okay with this arrangement as well, grinning between bites of his lunch.

"HVAC is like legit though, right? Like with the right license you can make bank." With a little shake of his head he politely declines the apple. Seems like he's just in the mood for burritos. "But I get it, that's so much work and if you're basically doing it already. Eh. Do you like it, though?"

He then listens as Jett explains the type of clientele he gets at the Midway, brows lifting curiously. "So like...it's not all rigged?"

Jett's stifled giggle draws out an amused sort of defensiveness from the musician. "Look, Beyonce has her thing and I have Sir Ty," he snaps playfully. "He's a bard, he's probably employed by royalty if we logic this out. Needs money for his various instruments. But basically I just do medieval covers of like...every song in existence. I can sight read so I just need the ipad to look up the sheet music when someone wants to get wild and say Tupac or whatever. But I switch between lute and violin and singing and then when the pirates need back up in the orchestra I go over there...there's also the parade, the Spookeasy, literally wherever there's a backing band." He's out of breath by the time he finishes. "For all those I can just be me though. And lately Harper has me playing Metallica to her plants in the conservatory so every day is a new adventure."

Jett's stomach is actively no longer growling at him and he rolls up his sleeve to check the time again. He's not like the other young people his age checking his phone; no phone in sight! Still he's careful about not being tardy on his break; never know when that upper dude is walking around in his cap and shades after all. His attention flicks back to Kennedy as she talks about what she does after Ty's questions of it, "HVAC... You know I think I should know what that is..." But he doesn't. Once again he also doesn't pull out a phone to google it.

When he's caught in the act staring his eyes snap down pointedly and he clears his throat; a touch of awkward pink sweeps across his cheeks. He's been here a while! You'd think he'd get used to seeing weird shit. Then he asks, since she caught him anyway, "Can you fly?"

Jett nods at the arrangement, all serious like. It was deadly serious. Cookies were involved.

Jett's gaze returns back to Ty, snorting, "I mean... not allll of them are rigged. Some of them require actual skill. Ahem, but yeah, yeah, it's my job to keep the patrons hooked to the game. I have to gauge whether or not they're going to walk away and if so ... I might make it a little easier if I can." He waggles a finger, "But I can't give away all the secrets over the first burrito!"

Then Ty reacts in that amused manner. Jett draws ringed fingers over his lips to stifle the laughter further because at this point if he doesn't Kennedy will get sprayed with chewed burrito. As the laughter subsides and so too does his food pass down without being choked out or spitted at, Jett levels a smirky grin at Ty, "I will drop in to see Sir Ty sometime, see if he can't play Limp Bizkit or Nirvana." Kids these days are totally into the 90s groove, hence the goth reborn. "And today you fed a ravenous magpie and met Lady Sparks! Your adventure seems complete," he tacks on as he finishes up the burrito. He ate quick.

He's wiping his hands off on the nearest napkin, "I need to get back or I'm liable to get my ears chewed off by the sup." Youngins like him do need to be kept in check with schedules! The park is a good place to learn that lesson. "I'll catch you two around sometime?" Jett offers as way of extending an olive branch for further acquaintance in the future.

"Oh, deff, especially if you're licensed for boilers out here during winter." Kennedy grins to Ty, before shrugging, "Electricians make more, though. Not much, but technically electricians have more shit to worry about. Bad air flow sucks, faulty wiring kills." She grins as she finishes off her sandwich, shaking her head at Ty's recitation, "I so wish I could do music. I listen to it, but I don't have an ear for it. Musicians break my brain, but in the cool way."

Towards Jett, she flashes a wry look, shrugging again, "HVAC is like... AC, heating, humidity, air flow in a building kind of thing. And no," She says with a grimace, sitting back in her seat. "Flying would be kinda cool, but they're too small. Still useful, even if they took a lot of getting used to. And wardrobe changes. I'm pretty good at climbing, though. Extra grip."

After a moment's hesitation, the corset undoes itself, the wings extend a bit, shaking themselves out a touch. One odd claw-grip-wing-tip thing wiggles a bit, like a shy wave towards Jett. "Yeah, sure. Good luck with the cookies and the people, Jett." Her actual hand rises in a stilted wave - apparently unclear exactly how much enthusiasm a wave should get. "I better wrap up too. Gonna have to put in the order about the vending machine and head to Starlight, somebody complained about the spectrum of some of the lights out there. Bad for the bugs or something."

She reaches to start packing up her lunch and tidy her trash, one wing reaching down to grip at her tool bag and tug it closer to her side. "Sorry to leave you on your own, Ty."

"Yeah electricians also have to worry about instant death if they even look at a wire wrong," Ty laughs a little ruefully. It's not ACTUALLY funny though is it? "Sorry, you know what I mean." She gets a little nod of understanding when it comes to musicians breaking brains. "Nah, it's fair. It's like a whole different part gets unlocked for that. But I'm really bad with any kind of tech or engineering so maybe we're even?"

He seems rather surprised that not ALL the games are rigged. "Ohh okay so there's like a whole science to it. Okay, okay." His smile then takes on a hint of smugness. "Ah yes, right, the rest of the secrets are for when guacamole is involved."

As for Sir Ty-- "Well he can't play Limp Bizkit on principle since he's classy," there's a lot of playful emphasis on that last word, "but I'm sure he can play Nirvana in his sleep." He dips his head in a gracious sort of nod, one hand coming up in a medieval or ren-faire adjacent salute. "I'm glad to be of service, magpie. Please go about your day with less manhandling of the electrical equipment." A lopsided grin breaks out, then he waves as Jett departs.

Brown eyes turn to the wings which now of course Ty fully pays attention to. One is waving after all. With his own burrito sufficiently inhaled, he smiles at Kennedy. "It's alright! My break's almost over too and I still have to suit up again so I'll be heading out in a moment. It was great meeting you." He slowly gets up and does a lazy stretch, then puffs his moppy bangs out of his face with a breath. "See ya later."