clusterkriff - Tumblr blog

[clusterkriff]

a spooky tooka & a cursed gourd

[clusterkriff]

New fic for @karabastard! A modern restaurant AU that was a joy to write!

Here's a preview:

~~~

“Be nice,” Hera warned as soon as Zeb walked in the door.

“What?” he asked, holding his arms out in a wide shrug.  “I’m always nice.”

The look that Hera gave him clearly said he wasn’t.  “I hired a new manager and he’s here.”

Zeb slumped.  He knew Hera needed to be home more lately; there was the baby coming in a few months and Kanan was still recovering from that nasty fall he took in the kitchen.  Still, anyone other than the two of them running the place just seemed wrong.

Fántasma had belonged to Hera’s parents, a staple of Mediterranean comfort food in Lothal for years until they retired and transferred ownership over to Hera.  They’d hired Zeb, who brought in some new flavors to the restaurant while still keeping the same staples that kept customers coming back year after year.  And, Zeb thought, he’d been doing a good job.

“Tell me he’s just front-of-house,” Zeb said.

“He’s front-of-house,” Hera confirmed.  “Your iron grip on the kitchen remains.”

Zeb grinned, feeling cheerful again.  “He stays out here, we’ll get along.”

Before Zeb could head on back to the kitchen, Hera grabbed his arm.  “Zeb, I mean it when I say be nice.”

“Okay, now I’m worried.”  Zeb looked around the restaurant.  No one he could see but the lunch wait staff.  But Hera had said the new manager was there, which meant…

He was in the kitchen.

Zeb stopped in the doorway and stared in dismay.

Standing at his expediting station, examining the line setup, was his worst nightmare.

Alexsandr Kallus had been in his same classes in culinary school, until it became clear he didn’t have the creative talents necessary to be a true chef.  Last Zeb had heard, he’d been working as maître d’ at some fancy place downtown, which let him use his theoretically much-more-developed people skills to manage the place.

Theoretically.  Zeb had never found him all that pleasant, especially when they vied for the same scholarships and internships.

“Kallus,” he said blandly, trying not to let his disdain show.

The man turned around, one of his trademark pompous expressions on his face.  Upon seeing Zeb, however, his face morphed into abject disappointment.  “Orrelios.”

Hera pushed past Zeb, standing between the two of them.  She gave them a stern look, one she usually saved for Ezra.  “I trust that both of you are adults and professionals and won’t have a problem working together?  I’ll be here when I can, but you’re still going to have to play nice when I’m not.”  Looking at Zeb, she asked, “Got that?”

“Got it,” Zeb said grudgingly.  He looked at Kallus, noticing that even though he’d combed it back, some of his blond hair had escaped and hung loose.  “As long as you don’t mess with my fuckin’ kitchen or my fuckin’ menu.”

“I understood Fántasma needed managerial help,” Kallus said.  “Or was I misinformed?”

“Alexsandr,” Hera said.  “Fántasma runs fairly smoothly already.  I need to know that’s going to continue while I’m away.  I trust the two of you to make this a well-oiled machine.”

“Of course,” Kallus said, backing down immediately, though Zeb could just imagine him filing away that ‘fairly smoothly’ for later abuse.

Turning his back on the other two, Zeb put his things in the small lockers, using the top one that only he could reach, usually.  It wasn’t that he had anything to hide.  The other kitchen staff were simply shorties, compared to him, and he always let them all use the lower lockers.  Pretending Kallus wasn’t there, he spoke to Hera.  “I want to use that shrimp you brought in yesterday, so I was thinking a sorta jambalaya using orzo instead of rice.  Some olives, too.  How does that sound?”

“Like a mess,” said Kallus.

Zeb tensed, fighting every urge in his body to turn around and deck the man.  In my kitchen…

“Sounds like the sort of thing everyone loves from you, Zeb,” Hera said.

Wondering if Hera was regretting hiring Kallus yet, Zeb acted as if he hadn’t heard him and smiled.  “Good.  That’s what we’ll do, then.  I left some shrimp and sausage marinating; I’ll whip up a roux and see what you think.”

Turning around, Zeb saw the sour look on Kallus’s face turn to a smile when Hera glanced his way.

Point to Zeb, then.

[clusterkriff]

works in progress are still work so have this wip/sketch page. it was a comic for valentine’s day that I thought I could turn into my kalluzeb: facpov but I came up with something else for it! I’d like to finish it still. It’s just so hard not to let wips pile up (in general lol) when you’re teaching yourself how to do this !!

[clusterkriff]

sorry for cursed ET Zeb here’s some doodle Zebs cringing @ himself from the same sketchbook page 😬

[clusterkriff]

sometimes you remain the hero of your own story even when you become the villain of someone else’s

[clusterkriff]

Happy Valentine’s Day!!! pretend there’s some little hearts floating between them 💕

[clusterkriff]

so new agent fulcrum content yea!!? equally excited and nervous tbh.

anyway, thinkin bout them all the time and idk if its healthy :’)

[clusterkriff]

but what if his pupils dilate and he gets fluffy when looking at his loved one(s)