2020-07-26 The Yarn House: The Hungry Woman

The Hungry Woman

Participants: Arsenic, Ayanna, Bianca, Haruka

Storyteller: Gabriel

Location: Seafood District Innie/Outtie Burger

Date and Time: July 26, 2020- 11:30 pm

Summary: A woman decides to enjoy some fast food, perhaps a little too much...

Mood Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBD4_TrSf_E

Late at night at Innie/Outtie's, a famously popular burger joint in LA, there seems to be a notably smaller amount of people than usual. In fact, it's almost a ghost town tonight for some reason. The workers are exhausted, but nice. Otherwise what a perfectly normal night for normal things to normally happen normally. What could go wrong?

A French invasion. Nothing could be worse. It's at its most horrid when it masquerades itself as a petite brunette that oh so innocently walks in an American establishment and walks to the counter, asking "umm, a bottle of mineral water please, not cold if possible?" with an outrageous French accent.

Arsenic comes down to the Innie and the Outtie, burger time for the mother fucking time, aint' his favorite. Wasted Burrito is his one true love, but he got this fucking gift card. His fingers spinning it around his fingers, as he leaps forward into the joint. His long tattered leather duster is spinning around him, as he snarls at someone in line that he hates the look of, as he howls out. "BURGER TIME! It's a shit video game, but an okay fucking meal!" His voice is loud, filled with boredom as his fingers work over a patch on the jacket, so many obscure bands and on the back in neon green over his shoulder blades is the words <Arsenic> under this is <Destroyer of Worlds> in black gothic lettering.

Bianca found herself with burger cravings this evening and where else does one go for burgers? Her entrance is preceded by a very loud punk guy who draws her attention for a while, entertainment in the queue if nothing else. She's dressed down, jeans and a tank top, with a small black purse hanging from her shoulder. "Hmmm...One with everything except mustard and pickles please? And...Oh, Orange Juice so I can at least pretend to be healthy today!" She flashes a grin at the server.

Haruka isn't generally out this late, but for reasons she apparently is. But okay, so she slips in, and starts sizing up whether this is a good time to STAY or not. Dressed comfortably and casually in light gray sweats and a light blue t-shirt, with cream colored sandals.

"Oh! Um, s-sure... Um, ma'am." The woman says with a nice smile, though seemingly a little off put. This place is usually jam packed, and why does she act like the sweet French woman is practically pulling a gun on her? The bottle is handed over. No money asked for. When Bianca orders, they nervously get everything together for her, scrambling to get it ready. Sweat on the cashier's brow forms as he says in a voice crackling with puberty "Um... W-we normally don't say this, but maybe you should all l-"

The doors SLAM open as a small woman in her early 40's screams in that excitable, happy scream of someone who just won at everything ever. "w-OOOOOOOOOO!" She cries out. "My dream come TRUE!" She walks up to the cashier, disregarding everyone. "I want every burger you got, handsome," she says, winking at him. Her phone shifts from manic to menacing. "Oh, and I do mean Every. Fucking Burger." she giggles, winking at the other people, finally recognizing them.

The woman has black hair, wearing a blue and white striped long sleeved shirt and... are those multicolored short shorts?! Oh, yeah, showing off her bird legs with pride, her thin legs accentuated by the knobbiness of her knees. She looks like she should be in a health food store, not at Innie/Outtie's…

Ayanna blinks as she seems to be like the first snowflake in a sudden avalanche. She gets her bottle of water and from that moment on everything seems all of a sudden so American and so loud...! The redundancy is because it's so much of both. Still, not wanting to be accused of theft or even opportunism, Ayanna calls out to the girl at the counter, "I'm sorry miss, you forgot to charge me, should I pay in cash or credit card?", not sure about, well, just a bottle of water as she glances at the.. parade a but warily.

Arsenic looks at the old woman studying it for a moment, his hand is moving along to tap her on the shoulder. "Hey, I mean good fucking order. But fucking hell, I want some fucking food too and shit." His hand shoves that coupon at her for a moment. "I'll give ya this for one of those mother fucking burgers, and some fucking fries. Cause you will be fucking taking 'em all fucking night, ya fucking bitch." His voice is filled with rage, as he looks at the rest of the room.

As he looks over at Ayanna."Free fucking water. Why the fucking hell ya going to pay, ya fucking got that fucking shit." His eyes watching her for a moment ,as he bites his lower lip with a wicked chuckle. "Dumb bitch."

Is she high? Or crazy? Or both. Bianca watches the woman without seeming to stare and her eyes flick back to the server...He almost seemed to have been expecting something. Not wanting to draw too much attention she moves to the side with her order, shifting slowly towards a booth and putting something solid at her back.

Haruka looks at the loud woman coming in, and at Arsenic, and takes a deep breath. Yeah, it's crazy late at night, and crazy is happening. She slides back toward the door, thinking maybe she'll be better off just getting home and having something delivered.

The woman, smiling nervously, whispers to Ayanna through her teeth. Aloud, she says "Oh! Free of charge! Um... Free Water Sunday! God Bless!" She giggles in a tone that could quickly turn into tears. The burgers are beginning to PILE up next to the woman, as if a pre-order. Fries are being dumped onto trays. One coffee is handed out as well. No one could eat this much. No one.

The raven haired crow-woman laughs. "Tell you what? Keep your coupon. Get a burger. My treat. I called in and am living a DREAM!" She laughs, twirling like she's in some fairy tale and not in some David Lynch Discovers Adderall style scenario. The woman sits down and the food is being piled around her as she rips the paper off one of the burgers and begins to GORGE, moaning. "Oh, Goff... Fo goof..." she mewls in an ecstatic tone. "YEARF of not eating meat." She swallows it, sipping the coffee before eating fries. "YEARS of weight loss and self-hate. YEARS of life wasted. No more!" She giggles again and whispers to the pissed off rat.

Arsenic reaches over to grab one of the burgers as he starts to munch now, and than he grabs a second as he walks off to flop down into a chair. As he starts to dual fist them, as he thinks for a moment. "Thank ya oldie, ya your fucking loved and I aint' need any of that love shit. I got burgers now, that is all I fucking need ya know!" He watches the room now, as he eats quickly now with a dual bites as he starts to lose his mind to the foodie.

Ayanna gives the rude man a chilling cold stare as for a moment she imagines someone in the kitchen might have overheard his remarks and made his burger extra fiery ghost-pepper spicy. To make things worse, when he screams for water, not that it would help in the first place, he'd get served with some medical grade moonshine. Oh yes, that thought does help her feel a bit better. A breath and she bites on her lip, chewing on it momentarily, contemplating whether she should take the water she didn't pay for or not before she leaves. Making up her mind, she keeps the bottle with a nod to the woman at the counter and turns to leave.

So definitely at least a little crazy. Bianca nods to herself and peels the paper off her own burger, taking a bite that somehow manages not to drip anything down her flame red top. "You eat that much and that quick you're gonna end up throwing most of it back up chica." Her natural accent fits better here, not the facade under which she performs. The angry punk is another matter, although she vaguely recognizes his face from the fliers dumped at the Tiger a while back, Bianca pauses in awe at his ability to go through a burger like it's in a woodchipper. She glances at the small French woman, offering a faint smile of solidarity in confusion.

Haruka is kind of hungry. So after the crazy lady gets her food, might as well try. Haruka walks carefully up to the counter, and laughs "So do you HAVE any food left?"

Face covered in food bits, the woman moves to devour another. And another, cackling to herself. 3/4 into her second burger, she sighs, plopping it onto the paper wrapper next to her. "Who the fuck cares? I'm living the dream!" she replies, sighing as another coffee is placed next to her by a terrified employee. The rail thin woman reaches up to scratch the back of her hair. exposing her thin, waxy skin. "I was a drug addict. Living off my family's inheritance alone. Only used for fucking drugs. My boyfriend left me because I was a fat ass," she says, gesturing to herself. "But now? I learned a secret. I don't need him. I'm loved. I can dance. I can be free. I am free! I am loved!" She downs the burger like a professional speed eater. "And what's better? Who cares if I throw it up? Nothing I've not done before!" She barks a laugh. "Grab a burger. On me." she says, opening another. Gorging herself. Literally grabbing a hand full of fries and shoving it - fist and all - down her throat.

The female Cashier smiles to Haruka and hands her a bottle of water. "No ma'am! Just water. Please enjoy this complimentary water and *be on your way.*"

Ayanna's face seemed like she nearly vomited in het own mouth at the vulgar display of literally stuffing one's face with food only without any hint of Monty Python humor. Still, someone may want to bring her a bucket... Water bottle in hand, she hurries to the door, intending to leave this grotesque scene as swiftly as she can.

Arsenic looks over at the woman studying her for a moment, as he bites into the burger. His hand is flicking the trash towards the bin with a flick as he watches the burger wrapper land right in front of him, as he bends down to grab it there is a loud ripping sound, as he leaps up wards with a wicked frown. "Fuck my pants." His voice is calling out making so much noise, as he stands there with his now exposed pink boxers, with hearts on them as he frowns now. As he starts to move forward tripping on the wrapper now as he slides across the floor, banging into the trash can with a loud thump knocking it over.

"Well good for you honey!" Bianca's eyes flick towards those short shorts and her dark gaze goes flat, controlled. She steps towards the woman still scarfing down junk food as though her life depended on it and opens her arms for a hug. "We gotta love ourselves and the rest of the world can go to hell, right?"

Haruka takes a breath. Fine. She takes the water offered, nodding a thanks, then carefully walks over to the pile of food. "Thanks," she says softly, taking a burger, considering it, and then starting to edge back toward the door. "Very late tonight."

"YES! No Pants Policy!" she calls out to Arsenic throwing another burger to him. She chugs her first coffee then continues on yet another burger. This can't be safe or healthy. The employees continue to stack up more and more around her. "GOD the LOVE in the ROOM! I feel the LOVE! I feel REMEMBERED!" tears of joy come down the woman's cheek. She slams her face into another burger, the wet, almost predatory sound of devouring continuing. "Aw, honey..." she mewls, reaching up to receive her hug. "You're loved, too. You're so. So. Loved..."

The music in the place has died. The burgers all made, stacked around the woman like a food based tomb. "C-Can we leave now, miss? We made you everything you ordered, we promise... Just please..." the crackly voiced teen calls out. "P-please..."

Arsenic grabs the burger as he stands there in his boxers covered in the trash, as he starts to eat it slowly. "Fucking hell, what the fuck is this shit." His eyes watching the crazy old woman, as he eats it quickly. Has he no shame? Hell no, no shame. "Pants off burger time oldie!" His voice howls at her, as he walks over now those pants are now tattered around him. "Burger queen, what's your fucking deal? Who filled ya with love?"

She steps away from the woman again, picking bits of burger detritus from her top where it came in contact with her. Her eyes are still flat, the smile on her face not reaching them as she brushes her free hand against one hip, a comfort gesture to herself. Her other hand is wrapped around the item she'd noticed in the burger woman's pocket and she returns to the counter, leaning over to whisper to the server.

Haruka unwraps the burger she took, and considers it, taking a bite, and walking up to the counter, where she says very quietly "Are you in danger?"

Reaching for the door, the petite brunette stops in her tracks and near freezes. Her eyes dark sideways and then she turns swiftly around to look at the place again, then at the people around, somehow managing to completely ignore the pants optional event. Hurrying back to the counter, she seems to be panting a little and asks the woman there, "w-where are the lavatories...?", her voice trembling a little.

The cashier nods to Haruka, leaning in to her and Bianca since they're close. After that, the woman pulls back. "Only in danger of running out of food ma'am! Which we did! Yep! We did what we were told and sure do hope all our customers leave so we can enjoy a nice, relaxing evening with family and loved ones!" When Ayanna asks for the restroom, the staff points her to the bathroom sign. "They're a little dirty. Wouldn't you want to *go home* instead?" the woman asks, her tone becoming panicked.

The woman relaxes after devouring literally her fifth burger. "Yaknow, before I retired, I was an explosives expert for the LAPD?" she muses aloud. "Then my husband Harold left me for some other woman in a different precinct. Said I worked too much. Fucking bastard." A bitterness on those last words. "When I retired, I left without so much as a goodbye, you know? No one even knew I left. Then... Like magic. These ads start showing up. I said 'what the Hell?' and decided to go in." She unwraps a burger, gesturing at Arsenic, a soggy piece of lettuce plopping messily onto the counter. "The Yarn House. Went in. First thing they did was hug me." Her lip quibbles. "First hug I had in almost 15 years. Said I was loved. Said they could take the hurt away." She leans back as tears of sorrow turn to tears of joy. "And they did. I'm loved. I am remembered. You can be, too!" Then she hears the word danger and she looks to Haruka. "No one's in fucking danger! I know what I'm doing, and this shit hole won't collapse without my say so!" Oh. Oh, God...

Arsenic nods slowly as he throws that burger out into the trash, as he shakes his head slowly. "Fucking thank ya for the food. Got a gig." With that and the words they used, he is moving for the door quickly, as he looks back at them all with a shake of his head. "Be safe all, I hope your fucking okay." With that he pushes open the door heading pantless out into the world.

"The door is rigged!" Ayanna whispers a bit loudly to the cashier and motions with her head to the entrance door. She means for it to be subtle despite the raising panic but it's enough to make a lock of her hair slide over to cover her face, forcing her to comb it back behind her hear with her fingers. As Arsenic pushes the entrance door to head out, she nearly screams in panic but she's too late anyway.

Bianca opens her hand a fraction, showing the server its contents, that telltale remote. Her body is between the counter and the former explosives expert now burger addict. There's a scream though and something about rigged. Shit if this isn't the only means of detonation....

Haruka takes a deep breath, looks around, and shakes her head. It's all becoming clear now. So she retreats from the door, gets behind a table, and starts to think.

Arsenic stops now as he looks at the others for a moment, as he looks at the woman and than the Ayanna with a frown. "Fuck......."His voice is comes out as he walks over to the others now, hands shoved deep in his pockets of his trench coat, with all those tattered leather and patches. "Okay, then we need to handle this shit. Anyone know how to deal with this kinda of shit?" His eyes moving over the room, as he seeks out the bathroom. "Look I got to fucking piss, where is the bathroom? Or is that fucking rigged as well?"

Burger woman is annoyed. "Oh, don't worry. I can just rewire the... she pauses, looking for her remote. "SHIT, I left it at home..." she says in the annoyed tone of someone who forgot their phone and not the deadly detonator. She grabs another burger, eating more. At this point, she seems more focused on the food than anything. "FUCK theef are goof...." Eight burgers. Her stomach begins to bulge a bit. "It hurts... It hurts... But I want more..." She grabs another, eating INTO the wrapper this time, making the noises of a feral beast as she devours it like a lion would a zebra on the Serengeti. After eating a burger in record time - wrapper and all, she sighs. "Well,, without my detonator, we're all going to blow up soon. Have a burger. Come be loved. Come be part of my memory."

"The fuck? FUCK your memory, lady!" says one of the cooks, still keeping away from her. "Let us go! We did what you asked, yo!" The Hungry Woman sighs. "Not all I asked..." she says. "I bet there are more burgers in the freezer, aren't there?" she asks.

"The detonator, what does it look like? Maybe you dropped it somewhere in here? What happens if you don't find it?" That same detonator, now stuck in Bianca's pocket. She reaches for her phone, pressing her thumb to the scanner and dialing 911 without looking at it, trying to avoid the notice of the hungry woman while keeping her talking long enough to find out what her chances of surviving the evening are.

Arsenic moves into the bathroom now, as he kicks a chair in front of the door as he starts to do whatever he is doing in there. He is well not pleased with what is going on trying something and failing it with a frown, as his hand bangs against the sink.

Haruka finishes her hamburger, which doesn't take that long, and then comes up with an idea. She gets up and hops the counter. Waving to the staff, she starts looking around for some things she can use to rig something up herself...

Gorging. Slurping. Smacking. Chewing. The Hungry Woman devolves into deeper desire, almost going into a trance, no longer responding to the people. At this rate the woman is likely going to literally eat herself to death in front of everyone, her stomach distending from all the food and coffee.

The staff, terrified, do nothing, unsure of what will happen as the woman continues to eat more. And more. And MORE. The cashier speaks up. "Rigged, and piled with garbage. We don't even know HOW she managed all this."

"Is there a back door, or a window open in the kitchen?", Ayanna tries to ask the cashier. Suddenly climbing through a greasy window and landing with her clothes disheveled in the back alley doesn't sound all *that* bad anymore, at least for tonight.

Arsenic sighs softly as he tries it once more, as he brushes his dreads back out of his eyes. As he starts to look around now trying to find himself, something to slip into to escape the old fashion way.

Bianca breathes slowly through her nose. It seems that the woman is too lost in her gorging to respond, hopefully she'll be too distracted to do much if Bi straight out phones the police. Still, she heads towards the bathrooms to put her a little further out of the woman's line of sight. "Police please, I'm at the Innie/Outie in the Seafood district, someone who says she is a retired explosives expert with the LAPD has apparently rigged explosives in the building. The doors are rigged, windows blocked, and she seems to be intent on eating herself to death as quickly as possible. I know it sounds wild but no, this is not a prank and I don't know how much longer we have." Her voice is back to that carefully cultivated and very white middle American accent that says 'please take me seriously'. "My name is Bianca Figueroa, you might have heard of me." If she was lucky the dispatcher would recognize her name (fame 3 - singer) and get on the case sooner rather than later.

Inhale from the nose, exhale through the mouth, rinse and repeat. Ayanna tries to calm her racing heart and stop panting so she can clear her mind and think straight. She then looks up to check the ceiling for any AC or ventilation ducts, she saw people much bigger than herself crawling through such in action movies but always wondered whether they could really carry a person's weight. Today she's actually willing to risk a try. Her gaze shifts to the kitchen window, checking the ceiling there as well as whether they might have any kind of appliance she could squeeze herself into. *Blink* burgers, meat, they ought to have a walk in pantry or some other very large fridge. If it's behind a wall or more, most chances it would survive a detonation and even the building going down. Only problem would be oxygen. "Where's your pantry?", The French girl asks the Cashier all of a sudden.

Haruka isn't stopped, so she grabs a couple metal utensils of reasonable size and shape. Then, she unplugs the microwave, and does her best to bring it up from the back of the kitchen, to the counter. Putting it down, getting it open, and messing with it. Setting up just the right... effect.

Arsenic starts to move quickly as his clothing and items shrink with him into a large pattern on the back of his black and white fur. As he shifts, as he starts to climb up the wall heading through the little hole, as he wiggles his way out of the back of the place. He is moving quickly, as he reaches the outside, he is heading right outside of here back to his nearest hidey hole, to watch the news.

Another burger down. Another to go. Another fist full of fries. Unimpeded, she becomes woozy, falling over and crashing into a pile of burgers, smashed along the floor. "Noooooooooo!" she bellows like a wounded animal, pulling food odd the floor and shoving it inn her face.

The staff could care less about the microwave being destroyed, watching helpless.

Haruka takes her sweet time, making sure not to injure HERSELF, while making sure she can injure the crazy woman. Bridging circuits, manipulating electronics, supercharging the EM generator in the microwave. She then opens the door, plugs it in, and hits the FULL POWER button. It manages one burst aimed at the woman, and then immediately lets out its magic smoke.

The Hungry Woman SHRIEKS in agony, as though being electrified. It stops her from eating. Indeed, she vomits a LOT of burger, coffee, and fries onto the floor. Panting. Dry heaving. She looks around. "Where. The fuck... Am I?" she croaks, collapsing onto her side in pain and confusion, her eyes looking around, then seeing something on the door. "Fuck. Fuck FUCK!" She pants, then sees the explosives. FUCK, what IS THIS?!"

Ayanna is hanging by a thread from vomiting herself at the sight and stench of... yes, that, thing happening over there. "Pantry, do you have a pantry?", she asks the cashier with even more urgency now, death in an explosion, crushed under a building or lack of oxygen suddenly sounds better than seeing or smelling the vile contents of this woman's stomach. Just, take a picture of this and it's the perfect ad against junk food, ever!

Bianca can see Haruka doing....something with the microwave and the hungry woman collapsing in a heap. Said woman's entire demeanor seems to have changed but... That light on the detonator in her pocket has sped up, they are running out of time and Bianca is rapidly running out of cope with all of this. She swallows hard against the stench of vomit and the natural response to someone in a room throwing up. "Ma'am...ma'am you set these. Are you...are you...can you stop them?" Her voice is steady but comes through clenched teeth, it is taking every bit of her willpower to maintain the calm façade.

The cook points to the pantry area to the back where the foods and walk-in freezer are. Otherwise, they're now pressed against a fryer, terrified of whatever the fuck is going on...

The woman looking about,, she mutters. "There has to be a radio detonator nearby. It should be able to deactivate them. FUCK, no one's dumb enough to keep it in the place to be detonated though, unless they were planning to kill themselves."

The sounds of sirens are heard as police come to the area. Traffic is being blocked off. Police are preparing to begin negotiations. In the distance a helicopter can be heard.

"If I give this back to you are you actually going to fix this shit?" Bianca steps forward and holds the detonator out towards the woman, taking care to skirt the puddle of vomit and breathing through her mouth as much as possible. "Because I didn't think it was particularly safe in your hands before..."

Haruka points to Bianca, and the less-crazy woman. "Do it. I think I knocked some sense into her with the EM pulse. Seems like she was hypnotized or something."

Ayanna Dashes away from the batshit (that's guano) crazy Americans, through the kitchen and into the walk in pantry. It should most certainly be cleaner and smell better than the toilets, plus hopefully as far as possible from any explosives without getting frozen into a French popsicle or risking running out of oxygen.

The Hungry Woman gives her a strange look. "Uh, yeah? I was an explosives expert for LAPD? What, do YOU know anything about explosives? Give it here, unless you want to be past. Jesus, there's at least 60 pounds of the stuff in here. Who rigged this shit?!"

"ATTENTION. MY NAME IS DETECTIVE ALEJANDRA ESCARRA. WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED. PLEASE INFORM US OF YOUR DEMANDS. WE CAN WORK THIS OUT." The police sound like they're trying to negotiate with a terrorist.

"Aw, shit..." The Hungry Woman growls. "The Hell is this? Just give me the detonator so we don't blow our asses up, okay?"

Bianca hands the detonator over nervously. What *had* happened to the woman, hypnosis didn't explain the half of it and she didn't want to think about mind control and the possibilities it suggested. "You rigged it. You came in here and ordered all the food in the place and started spouting some shit about being loved. I called the cops because you were too busy shoveling food in your mouth to answer anything about what the fuck was going on." She's getting angry now, the woman might have been high or something but that's not an excuse for nearly blowing her to chunky salsa.

Haruka nods. "I'm not sure what's going on, but if you need help with that, let me know. I blew out the Microwave but I'm sure anyone who rigged that up has tools stashed somewhere."

Ayanna hides in the pantry, closing the door almost completely behind her. She can hear the police outside which raises her mood and confidence in her chances to survive the ordeal. Now that more people step into the pantry, it means there's more mass between herself and the direct shock wave of impact. She finds a corner to sit at, hopefully close to a vent keeping the air fresh and covers her ears. If anything detonates, her ears will be the first to go…

The Hungry Woman laughs. "Oh, my GOD,,, it's that easy?!" she yanks a wire and the LEDs flash incredibly fast for a couple second BEFORE... Nothing! The bombs are deactivated. Tired, she sighs, looking at the others. "Make sure you leave with hands up so they don't shoot. That detective's not the best at these things." she says, lying on her back hands out annd splayed,, tossing the deactivated detonator several feet away. "I feel so alone, again..." she says with a sigh. The bombs diffused. The night saved...

As soon as the front door opens, Ayanna waits in the pantry to be 'properly rescued' by the law enforcement personnel so there's the least chance of her being a suspect of anything. She watched MIB and remembers smart law enforcement people will suspect the little girl carrying advanced physics books.

Shaking now that the ostensible danger is past, Bianca raises her hands and nudges the door open with her hip. "Detective Escarra? I called you. The explosives have been disarmed and the woman who set them is inside. I....I think she had some kind of nervous breakdown? Kept talking about being loved and somewhere called "The Yarn House"? The customers and staff are coming out now." There's a tremble in her voice and she is very aware of the police being on high alert with potentially twitchy fingers.

The detective nods. "There's an ambulance nearby. Go get a checkup. I have officers there for questioning. I'll take care of this." The detective walks in, laughing at The Hungry Woman. "Girl! What did you do this time?" She says, leaning down.

The hungry woman looks at Escarra, nervous. "Look, I... I don't know what-" BLAM.

A shot to the head. The Hungry Woman goes limp. The officer rises up. "Shouldn't have gone for my gun, DiSalvo. You'll be remembered, all the same..."

As that happens, dozens of police swarm in, preparing the area and starting a sweep for interviews and the like.