Luke's Diner, Sunday

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

Vala wasn't expecting much business, being as how all the new students and teachers were still in the getting-to-know-you phase of the proceedings, but that didn't stop her from taking extra time to set out flowers and make sure that everything was extra clean, in case anyone decided to stop in.

She'd even taken extra time with the specials board, which was particularly legible today, and written in different colors of chalk.

SPECIALS:

Mexican hot chocolate
Ziti and parmesan cheese frittata
Six-story fruit and yogurt parfait

Comments

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

It wasn't that cold outside, so Mohinder probably didn't need the scarf he started tugging at when he dropped in at the diner. Still.

He looked round at the smartened diner and asked, "Time on your hands?"

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"How could you tell?" Vala asked, looking up from her magazine. "Coffee?"

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"Lucky guess. Or perhaps the colour scheme," replied Mohinder, making his way to the counter. "And thank you."

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome," she said, pouring him a cup. "It's possible I got a bit...carried away this morning. Are you ready for your new students and semester?"

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"Maybe a little," he said, settling one hand around the cup. "You're enjoying the cold weather? I think so, though saying so might be tempting fate."

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"It's actually a nice change," she decided after thinking about it for a few minutes. "I'd never expected to make it to Antarctica, though. Why would it be tempting fate?"

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"I'm not used to it just yet," replied Mohinder, fingers twitching at his scarf. "So it wasn't on your list of vacation spots?" He shrugged. "Adapting to here's all very well, but it's the surprises that keep me interested."

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Honestly, I can't say that I have any planned vacation spots on this planet," she shrugged, "though the surprises...well, most of them are worth it. Did you suffer any ill effects from the Hades thing a few weeks ago?"

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"No, just one short encounter with a ghost, and a visit to Greece in search of a weapon that involved more mountain trekking than I expected." Mohinder looked up at Vala. "I hope you were as fortunate?"

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"All I know is that I ended up unconscious on the front lawn, and I don't remember having fun before ending up in that state," she frowned. "Did you find the weapon?"

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"Does your fun often end up in unconsciousness? I'm glad it was nothing worse." Mohinder grinned. "We did - a big rock... and a sling to throw it."

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

She took a sip of coffee. "It kind of depends on the planet, actually. And wait. A sling and a rock? This planet does have technology, you know..."

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"Ah, I see I've been missing out, finding my entertainment here on earth," he said, dryly. "Perhaps there was more to it than that? But it did just look like a rock."

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps someday I could show you around," she offered, laughing, "see parts of the galaxy you'd never imagined before. Although the rock thing would be hard to top."

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"I'd take you up on that someday, though I like what the galaxy's brought to Fandom," said Mohinder, nodding at her. He grinned. "I'm sure it could be bettered. If it was a really big rock."

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Fandom does seem to have done well in the galactic sweepstakes," she grinned back. "Maybe a meteor rock?"

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"It's a very improbable island, however it nanages to exist," replied Mohinder, brightly. "That might do it. As long as it was shiny enough."

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Oh, yes, by all means, let's have our intergalactic space debris be shiny."

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"So you were hoping to palm me off with space junk that wasn't even shiny," Mohinder raised an eyebrow and continued. "I'm not that easily bought."

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"But the non-shiny space junk has history! A proven track record of use!" Vala was about to be on a roll, here. She'd sold worse to harder sells than Mohinder Suresh. Not that she had space junk handy, of course. "Pie?"

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"A track record that in all probability ended when it became junk," protested Mohinder, before being distracted by the offer of pie. "Do you have something with chocolate?"

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Meringue, or raspberry chocolate mousse?" She asked, pointing to the pies on the counter behind her.

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

Mohinder opted for, "Raspberry chocolate," and picked up a spoon.

Not wanting to be eating alone, he asked, "Will you join me in a dessert?"

[spacepiratevala.livejournal.com]

"Well, if you insist that I have some pie, who am I to argue?" She asked, cutting a small piece of lemon for herself. "What will you be teaching our intrepid youth this semester?"

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

"I do," said Mohinder, taking a moment - eyes closed - to appreciate his first spoonful. "The applications of science and technology to investigation," he told Vala. "Fingerprints, surveillance, and the like."