The grill sizzled nonstop.
Thin slices of pork crackled as fat dripped onto the flames, sending smoke curling up toward the vents. The table was crowded—lettuce, sauces, rice bowls, half-finished drinks—everyone packed in close, sleeves rolled up, heat clinging to them.
A phone was propped against a bottle, the screen glowing.
John Wick had just started.
Bella sat back, chopsticks in hand, eyes locked on the screen. The opening scene played, quiet but heavy, and no one spoke. Even Nyx, for once, wasn't cracking jokes.
Vario flipped a piece of meat, squinting. "Why does this guy look like he's already tired of the world?"
"That's the point," Garruk said. "He's grieving."
Yuwen calmly wrapped meat in lettuce while, on-screen, violence loomed closer. "Efficiency," Yuwen said, chewing. "Both the cooking and the protagonist."
The first fight scene hit.
Gunshots echoed from the tiny speakers. Bella leaned forward, eyes sharp. Smoke from the grill mixed with the sound of action, the smell of grilled pork blending strangely well with chaos on-screen.
Nyx whistled. "That's… a lot."
Vario paused mid-bite. "Did he just take down three people without blinking?"
"Yes," Bella said. "And he's not done."
They ate as the movie escalated.
Meat disappeared fast. Plates were refilled. Someone nearly burned a slice because they were too focused on a choreographed fight scene. The table shook every time someone reacted too hard.
Garruk shook his head. "This guy loses everything and just keeps going."
Bella didn't answer right away. She watched John Wick reload with calm precision, then said quietly, "Sometimes anger is the only thing that moves you forward."
Nyx glanced at her but said nothing.
The grill flared up again, flames licking the meat. Vario hurriedly flipped it. "Okay but imagine him working night shift with us."
Everyone paused.
Then laughed.
"Customer complains," Nyx said. "They're gone."
"Inspector visits," Garruk added. "Also gone."
Yuwen nodded. "Highly effective management style."
Bella finally smiled, just a little.
The movie reached another brutal sequence. The table went quiet again, the only sounds sizzling meat and muffled gunfire from the phone.
By the time the credits rolled, the grill was nearly empty.
Smoke lingered. Plates were stacked. Everyone sat back, full and warm, minds buzzing.
Vario broke the silence. "So… sequel?"
Bella reached for another slice of meat that didn't exist anymore.
"…Next time," she said.
And for once, no one argued.