The Game Cafe in Marvel and DC

54 – Logan and…a butler?

Driving down a street in a Toyota Prius, a middle-aged man with a classy mustache and bald head wearing casual clothes yet remaining quite distinguished in both appearance and posture.

Turned down a street that seemed almost barren, noticeably lacking the common vagrant or gang that Gotham was known for.

Parking his car and locking it, he turned away, knowing full well that any common thief who tried to steal his car would find the task near impossible.

That's when he found his destination, one he learned of only yesterday, but was curious and couldn't help but feel drawn to it.

'The New World Cafe.'

Quirking an eyebrow towards the strange name, the middle-aged man simply shrugged it off as a business trying to sound unique and eye-catching.

Stepping up to the sliding doors, the man tried looking inside, but the doors seemed to be tinted, blocking out a lot of light from entering the store.

Stepping closer, the doors slid open and the man stepped inside and froze in his tracks.

Many of the most infamous of Gotham's Villains could be seen sitting in front of computers, still as statues, while a strange alien creature and a bearded lumberjack of a man talked with one another at the counter.

Taking a deep breath and regaining his composure, the man stepped forward, until the creature noticed him.

"Hello! Welcome to my quaint Cafe, what can I do for you?" The creature asked.

"Uh, excuse me sir, but what do you have to offer?" The man asked.

"Quite a bit, food, medicine, alcohol, weapons, whatever your heart desires," The Creature shrugged.

"I suggest the alcohol, this stuff is good," The bearded man suggested, drinking from a bottle that had an extravagant label that the man had never seen before, and due to his work, he knew quite a few brands.

"Sierra Madre...Martini?" The man asked, confused.

"Ah, you've probably never heard of it, I'm afraid my Cafe is the only establishment that sells it at the moment," The creature answered.

"Hmm...how much for a bottle?" The man asked.

"Ah, for a bottle, it's $250 or 50 Karma," The Creature informed the man, much to his confusion.

"Karma?" The man asked in confusion.

"Yeah, in here we have a few unique ways of payment, one of them is of course, Karma, a...point system based on the influence that your actions have had on the world," The creature explained.

"Here, since you're new, you'll need to create an account to check out your balance," The creature informed the man, turning the computer screen towards them.

"I'd suggest you do it," The bearded man suggested, "So far it all seems legit, and I honestly don't think I can go back to drinking that piss I used to drink," The bearded man informed the other man, seemingly disgusted when comparing the alcohol he was drinking and whatever he drank before.

...

Watching the middle-aged man struggle a bit with the technology and creating their account, I looked over to Logan.

"You going to play one of the VR Games today?" I asked Logan, AKA the Wolverine and oldest X-men member.

"Maybe, maybe not. Depends on if the Professor needs me for something," Logan answered, taking a sip of the Sierra Madre Martini.

"Does he know you are here?" I asked, curious as to whether or not the Mind Rapist knew about me or not, and if he was able to peek inside my mind.

"Probably, though also likely that he doesn't, he's quite busy these days," Logan shrugged.

"Well, if he ever decides to visit, do warn him that I will punch him in the face if I see him," I informed Logan, leaning back in the air where I floated.

"What did the Professor do to you?" Logan asked, momentarily confused.

"Nothing, yet. However, I do know some poor souls who were destroyed by his schemes and fears in other realities, and also because I feel like punching him in his smug face," I joked before going quiet, memories surfacing in my mind.

Logan, Doctor Strange, and many mutants whose memories he's tampered with, erased, or changed. His constant mind reading and manipulation.

He has good intentions, but there's a saying, 'The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions.'

And Xavier...many of his versions across the Multiverse were doomed to Hell. 

Magneto, his polar opposite, being a Mutant that used violence to try and save Mutant-kind was arguably a better man than the pacifist that was Charles Xavier.

Both, however, were too stuck in their ways. 

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I focused on the man who was creating his account, surprised by what he used as his username.

'#1Butler'

"You are a Butler?" I asked, surprised.

"Ah, yes. I have been for many years," The man confessed, a smile coming across his face as he got lost in his memories fo a few moments.

"I'm guessing you are fond of your charge?" I asked, a gentle smile forming out of the slate on my 'face.'

"Yes. I have taken care of my Master for a great many years, single-handedly raising him from his childhood to the man he has become," The Butler informed me with a bright smile as his balance appeared on the screen.

[Karma: 801,902]

"Oh?" I spoke out loud, surprised by the amount.

This Butler must have been someone notable in the DC universe if they reached such a decent number of Karma.

Then it came to me.

Was this Butler who I thought it was?

If so...he chose a bad place to come, especially if any of his Master's adversaries discovered the public identity of his master and his relationship with him.

After all, Batman had very few personal connections that could be used against him, and I dare say that Alfred is one of the most vulnerable of his weaknesses, especially with his age, though I did expect him to be older than he was.

"Well, I think you won't have any problem with buying most of the shelf items available," I informed the butler who I suspected to be Alfred, Batman's Butler and best friend.

Before he could say anything else, I suggested, "Would you like to see all of the food, drinks, and medicine we have to offer?" I asked, gesturing to the fridge in the corner filled to the brim with food from the Games, including some of the new food introduced from Ark Survival Evolved.

Getting a reluctant nod in return, I smiled before floating down to the ground and walking over to the fridge, where tendrils of energy sprouted from my 'back' as I grabbed plates and glasses.

My extra limbs moved in a blur as the food was placed on the counter, drinks poured into the glasses, and medicines placed on the counter.

"First up is the Deathclaw Egg omelet with brahmin cheese and various wasteland herbs and spices to enhance its flavor," I informed the butler as I slid a plate in front of him.

Handing him a fork, I waited in anticipation.

He looked between Logan and me, and hesitantly cut off a piece of the omelet before piercing it with a fork and raising the hope piece of Wasteland cuisine in his mouth.

Noticing Logan begin to drool, I chuckled and asked, "Would you like a plate, Logan?"

"Hell yeah!" Logan enthusiastically replied.

Chuckling, I sent a plate his way, watching them both eat everything on their plates.

"Ready for the next dish?" I asked, a small smile on my face.