Octavinelle Troubles [Closed]

[over_the_sea]

🧙 WHO: Azul, Jade, Floyd.
⚔️️ WHAT: Sad eel angry at other eel and octopus.
🕒 WHEN: Mid July.
🗺️ WHERE: Golden Silence.
⚠️ WARNINGS: None yet, other than angry eel feels.


Closed to Azul
It seems all of the trio has been in a poor mood of late, however the reason behind Floyd’s mood is because of the other two. And the fact he doesn’t know what is going on! At the very least he is less annoyed with Azul, having started with whining and when that hadn’t worked had gone not to silent mode, but certainly to ‘I don’t want to talk to you’ mode. This of course may be something Azul would like, but it doesn’t matter to Floyd. He’s upset with both of them.

Floyd’s even let up on that ‘testing’ he’s been putting Azul through for the last month or so, a push here, a prod there, being more of a pain to see if he could make Azul snap and use magic; moving his stuff around on his desk, taking stuff away from him he was using, small things, but he knew it would add up. Floyd had just wanted an excuse to fight and test Azul. But right now… even that wasn’t fun to him. Not with Azul at least.

Still, there is stuff to be done for Golden Silence, he currently tapping his pen against a clipboard he held in his other hand as he looks over their supplies, Squishy snoozing on his shoulder with a couple of tentacles wrapped around Floyd’s neck so not to fall off. Floyd’s busy going through what ingredients they had for the next couple of weeks and making notes and doodles next to the check list of ideas for dishes. Sure, it would be a messy list to give back to Azul once he’s done, but it allowed him to get ideas out and written down, and some of those would actually turn into good dishes! Others… less so and were better to ignore.

However, “We need to go shopping. The menu’s getting boring.” And it’s not just a case of him getting bored with it, it was starting to feel like they were getting a bit too stagnant in what they were offering. Keeping favorites around was good, but it was also good to mix in a new dish or two here and there to get people in to try it. ‘Limited edition’ was always a good way to bring people, and money, in.


Closed to Jade
His mood towards Jade was even less friendly since this all had been going on. Whatever ‘this all’ even was! Floyd didn’t know! All he knows is Azul and Jade are being weird!

And neither of them will tell him why!

They’re supposed to be a team! Why is he left out?!

And it hurt more coming from Jade. Sure, it’s not like the twins had to know everything about each other, they had their secrets from each other, they didn’t have to tell each other everything. But the fact whatever was happening was affecting two of the trio made this more important! So while Floyd is annoyed at Azul…

He’s angry at Jade.

That may explain why dishes and utensils are getting slapped down more than normal as they work at setting up the restaurant for the change from lunch to dinner while the place was still empty of customers. Floyd was always messier when it came to that than Jade was, but he normally either did the job decent enough to pass, or didn’t want to do it at all. This was… more aggressive. Very much a case of showing his feelings through his actions. After all, he’s already spoken his feelings at Jade about being angry at not knowing what was happening, and that had achieved nothing.

So now… he’s ignoring Jade. Fine! If he doesn’t want to talk to him, then Floyd won’t talk to him!

Comments

[dottedline]

[Azul honestly has no idea what's got Floyd in this mood he's been in for the last however long, but at least he's stopped messing with Azul's things and is doing his job. Mostly. It is Floyd, after all.

Azul looks up from where he's been plugging numbers into a spreadsheet at Floyd's comments.]

Any suggestions, then? I've kept things fairly simple here since opening if only because with regular...bullshit that happens it's just easier than experimenting every month. I usually don't have the energy.

[over_the_sea]

Narwhal told me about some markets to try, [Not explaining who Narwhal was, and his tone is much more curt and snappish than normal, less of those drawn out words and whine that Floyd liked to use, how he would normally drag out his words.] I was thinking we should start doing some seasonal stuff that's limited edition.

And since it's limited edition you can charge more for it being in short supply. Can even use some elements from our normal dishes to save on buying too many new stuff, just jazz it up with some random bits. [His words may not be fully telling his annoyance, but his pen was, it tapping rapidly against the edge of the clipboard and getting faster and faster as Floyd kept talking.]

[dottedline]

[...oh boy. Floyd is pissed.

Cautiously:]

And who is Narwhal?

[He needs to make sure he trusts this source of information first and that also seems like the thing least likely to set off an eel tantrum.]

[over_the_sea]

[Azul, you know Floyd can't just say someone's name,] He owns Fortune Panda. [Hopefully that would be enough to explain who it was.] He said they doing a summer menu there. [And while Floyd isn't suggesting a full menu change, and that Golden Silence and Fortune Panda did very different food, they were still competition.

It's not stealing the idea from them, just common sense to make the most out of what is around.] Plus isn't it cheaper to use stuff in season?

[dottedline]

I've never spoken with the owner of Fortune Panda, so that doesn't answer my question.

[One name, Floyd. Just one!]

Usually, yes, though current agricultural practices makes that less of a concern with anything other than say, fish. [Which they do specialize in here!] We're not really the sort of establishment to do full summer menus, but maybe...

[over_the_sea]

[Never. You know the rules.]

Well maybe you should network better. [That all snapped out. It's not his fault Azul hasn't learned who the others restaurant owners were.]

I'm not talking a full menu, [Floyd's tone during this all not getting any better, even raising a bit with that, enough for Squishy to open an eye and seem confused with the sudden change in pitch and movement as Floyd slapped the clipboard down on the counter near Azul.] Just a dish or two. I'm bored.

[dottedline]

[There is the slightest flinch at "maybe you should network better", because yes he knows but he's also bad at it outside of very specific situations and none of those situations apply here.

But also: Floyd is starting to piss him off.]

Obviously you weren't talking about a full menu. That was me thinking out loud, Floyd. [And you knew that.] Are you bored with the menu or bored in general?

[over_the_sea]

The menu. [He really hasn't had time right now to be bored in general, now has he...? At first Floyd was curious to what had been going on, able to pick up something was off, but assuming it would blow over. When it hadn't he started to question what was going on. And when he kept getting no answers, he started getting annoyed. And now? Well now if they're going to not talk to him, he's not going to talk to them. Outside of basic requirements. And keeping Golden Silence running was one of those.

Squishy seems to sense something is up as well, looking between the two of them, before slapping a tentacle against Floyd's neck then waving it towards the shelf that Jade normally kept Ophi. Floyd for his part actually relaxes a little at this, gently picking Squishy off his shoulder and putting it on the shelf it wanted with a little pat to it's head. Yeah, better for Squishy to be out of the way.

And while he's still annoyed... at least the volume of his words have dropped down again after this. Though still very... short for him.] I donno what's in season, I wanna see what options there are.

[dottedline]

[What has him in such a bad mood, good lord. Should he ask? Or would that just annoy Floyd further?]

Well, so long as you don't buy anything without checking with me first, you can go to the markets or whatever any time you want. I won't stop you.

[...okay screw it.]

Is something wrong?

[over_the_sea]

[Floyd's quiet for several moments, other than his pen tapping rapidly against the edge of the counter, needing some sort of sound and movement as he thought this over. Should he answer that? Or was he too angry and just wants to stay in a huff? Why should he have to be the one to drag all this out?! Why couldn't Azul just say what was happening?! He gets Azul is secretive, but this is him! He's not supposed to be like that with Floyd! They're part of a trio!

It takes awhile as Floyd tries to decide if and how to answer... before getting out,] Yes. [Just that. He still not sure how to approach this. Most likely directly, but still...]

[dottedline]

[. . .]

And What's wrong? I'm not a mind reader, Floyd.

[over_the_sea]

[Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap of that pen as Floyd's jaw is set with tension, a slight glare leveled towards Azul.] Don't you trust me? [After all they've been through together, Azul? After so many years and all you've gotten Floyd to do to progress? Yeah, it's not quite an answer to what is wrong, yet, but Floyd has to know this answer first. He thought he knew the answer, but right now... he's not sure.]

[dottedline]

Yes? Obviously, or I wouldn't be letting you handle inventory and menu ideas.

[He may need to temper some of Floyd's wilder ideas, but he does have some good ones.]

What brought that up?

[mushroomaficionado]

So we're really doing this, aren't we? Jade realized right away that he'd angered Floyd by being evasive. And the sensible thing to do would have been to apologize and be a bit more forthcoming. But unfortunately, Jade's in one of those exceptionally stubborn moods.

And so he's been ignoring Floyd in turn and trying to ignore his passive-aggressive dish slamming. Emphasis on the aggressive part. But finally, as he's changing out a table cloth, a particularly loud clatter cuts through Jade's last nerve.

"Must you take out your mood on the dinnerware?"

[over_the_sea]

Jade! You're supposed to be the one to think several steps ahead, to always have a plan! You're the one able to work the best with your brother's moods and twist them in a way to be useful or at least less destructive than if Floyd is just left on his own. You're supposed to be the sensible one! And if you're not, well, you have to put up with Floyd being, well... like this.

Floyd ignores that question at first, his jaw set in a way that would be telling to Jade that he's got his teeth gritted the entire time. Though for his part in this all, sure, stuff was going down roughly, but he wasn't breaking anything. The restaurant still needed to be set up after all, and breaking stuff would just mean he would have to clean up, and he hated that.

Eventually however, "What mood?" Yeah, you want to play this game? Then Floyd will play it. And Jade will have to deal with it.

[mushroomaficionado]

It's true that Jade has been a little off his game lately. Has been since that conversation with Azul. Everything's felt off. But he's not going to express that like a normal person, because well, he's not normal.

But he finishes spreading out the table cloth and sighs. "Oh must be my mistake. I guess you're just composing a song? Is that it? It's an interesting melody."

[over_the_sea]

"It's not." Short and sharp. None of that normal drawing out of words and sounds that Floyd liked to do. None of that normal whine he added on the end to play with his words. Just direct to the point.

"I don't care what you think." But that's the whole think about this, he does care what Jade thinks! Just not about Floyd being in a mood. His moods shifted all the time, rapidly and sometimes violently, so that's nothing new. All of them should be used to it. Though this one has lasted far longer than they normally did. If Jade just talked to him this could all be over!

[mushroomaficionado]

Okay, the sarcastic joke didn't get him laughing, though perhaps that was to be expected. It's' getting a bit frustrating being on the end of a mood like this. Not that Jade hasn't ever been on the receiving end. It would have been strange if he wasn't, as Floyd's family.

He remains quiet as he continues setting table clothes for a bit and then looks around and frowns as he goes to adjust a centerpiece. "Then I won't ask your opinion and shall just change the centerpieces out on my own. They are getting a bit dull." Fine, they can both just be... that way.

[over_the_sea]

There's the on going thud and clank in that silence as Floyd is 'setting' the tables in that pause. But as Jade continued up with this act of his, Floyd's lips pulled back into something between a sharp toothed snarl and a sneer, shoving all the items he was holding into Jade's arms, "You do it then!" Not thinking or caring if Jade was able to grab them all in time.

"I'm going to the kitchen!" Fine! If Jade will be like that, then Floyd will go prep in there, stomping off towards it. A shame there was other workers in there at the moment... only to go scattering as Floyd is heard screaming from the kitchen. "GET THE FUCK OUT!"

[mushroomaficionado]

Somehow Jade just barely manages to grab them all, though it's a precarious situation and he mentally curses to himself as he struggles to get a hand on everything before setting them down. It's tempting to just take the rest of the day off, his mood being completely shot. But he also doesn't want to just run away either and so he mentally forces himself to readjust and starts to go about taking care of Floyd's now abandoned tasks.

Or at least he does until he hears Floyd's screaming and the other employees running out. Alright, that's enough of that. He tells a few people now waiting outside the kitchen to step out and take a break before stepping into the kitchen. "Floyd, do not yell at the staff like that. It's not appropriate. At all."

[over_the_sea]

Floyd isn't surprised Jade appeared after that all, of course he would, he always helped to clean up the messes Floyd made. Floyd just didn't care right now. He was willing to just ignore what Jade had to say, telling him off or whatever for yelling and scaring the staff, planning to just move on and take out some anger on chopping up stuff.

Until that end bit. That it wasn't appropriate, Floyd's palms slapping down hard on the counter top in a loud thud, his form stiff as he kept his back to his brother, teeth gritted tight to try and not answer back to that. And quickly losing. "I don't care if it is or not!" You don't have a right to say that right now, Jade!

[mushroomaficionado]

Jade takes a deep breath, crossing his arms as he does so, frowning. "Then you should just go home for the day. Because it's either that or I send the rest of the staff home."

There are better ways to handle this, but Jade's getting a little peeved. No more than a little peeved. He feels like some dam is about to break.

[over_the_sea]

"Make. Me." Floyd snarled out, too angry right in this moment to consider the impact of how those words would work on Jade's own mood right now. And even if he was aware... he wouldn't care. He's just too angry. If Jade doesn't want to talk to him, then fine! But don't go making snide little remarks about Floyd acting this way!

[mushroomaficionado]

Realistically, Jade could also just up and leave. Tell Floyd he could run the store instead. But that would be running away. And it would also be letting Azul down. Proving himself undependable. He can't have that.

"One last chance Floyd. Or else it's out."

[over_the_sea]

You know what, maybe this was exactly what was needed, that unhinged look of Floyd's staying in place, but gaining a wide smile to it. You know what, fine, if Jade doesn't want to speak to him willingly, then Floyd will make him. "Oh yeah? You really think you can?"

He'll beat it out of him.

Floyd moving to roll the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows as he stepped towards Jade, having not bothered with his coat while they were setting up, it just got in the way.