fandomtownies | Luke's Diner, December 15 (Monday)

Entry tags:

Luke's Diner, December 15 (Monday)

It wasn't at all unusual for the kitchen staff to be in a bad mood, but the holiday season was taking its particular toll in the form of very mild welts around the morning cook's wrists that he refused to talk about (but every time he had to pass through the parts of the diner that Lacey'd festooned with holiday garlands he did so with his head ducked, and very quickly) and the dishwasher limping on the ankle he'd sprained dodging a runaway rickshaw last week.

It wasn't helping matters much at all that Lacey kept squealing in glee every time she found a new little present lying around -- a pair of cute barrettes in the cash register, pomegranate lip balm under a coffee cup on the shelf. The staff got even surlier every time she bounced up to thank them for the little surprises, because honestly, as if they would?

Not that Lacey cared; she was positively, disgustingly cheerful.

Today's Special
Christmas Tree Pancakes

Luke's is open. Surprise! Okay, not really.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Mod your presents, too.

Dare you approach the bouncy one?

Yes, he dares. Possibly because he is just as bouncy, with his pockets full of little presents he'd found lying around.

Wasn't it great!

"Hey Lacey! Been a while since I stopped in, got all busy you know. Oooh, Christmas Tree pancakes! I'll have that!"

"Somehow, I knew you would," Lacey told him, and waved a piece of garland at the cook -- drawing a cringe -- to get his attention. "I was starting to forget what you looked like there."

"Awwww," he mocked-pouted at her. "I sorry. I just got wrapped up in other things. I'll have to make sure I pop in more often."

"Oh hey," he pulled an unopened wee present out of a jacket pocket. "Have a present! I found 'em all over my house this mornin'. Kinda cool."

"I know!" Lacey's squee-pitch reached dangerous levels -- if not glass-breaking, at least small-Pomeranian-attracting. "They've been e -- wait, you mean my kitchen staff isn't behind this?"

He shrugged. "They could be? Are they any good at sneakin' around an' bein' quiet?"

"Well," Lacey started to say, and then a loud crash came from the kitchen.

He snickered. That kind of answered the question for him.

...or did it?

"Maybe they just pretend to be clumsy in the kitchen to throw off suspicion? It's a great plan. Nobody would suspect the noisy, clutzy one to be sneakin' around in the dark leavin' gifts."

It was a great plan. He was now wishing he'd thought of it.

Flash-cut to the diner kitchen in the dead of night. All is quiet and still.

LEAPING into frame come the dishwasher, cook, and busboy -- all dressed as ninjas, so the only way you can tell them apart is by the fact that one is wielding plates, one has a spatula, and one carries a large plastic tub. But all of them handle their tools . . . weapons . . . whatever with astounding ninjalike skill and grace.

***

". . . okay, no, maybe it's not them," Lacey decided. But back to the important subject at hand! "Whatcha get me?"

"I have no idea," he grinned. "It's one of them little gifts I found this mornin'. But I thought this one might be for you."

Mainly because of the pink poka-dotted paper it was wrapped in. Murdock had been a little skeptical of opening it.

Because he thought it might have something very girly inside.

"Are the pancakes made out of Christmas Trees?" he asked. Hey it was fandom, it could happen.

"Oh yeah," Lacey said, deadpan. "One hundred percent genuine, cage-free trees, so fresh you don't need syrup 'cause they're still leaking sap."

She missed Brent; it was the kind of thing he'd say.

Tully snickered. "Sounds good. How's the coffee today?"

"The coffee," said Lacey, drawing herself up with pride, "is fantastic, if I do say so myself. Which I do. Say so myself, that is."

She was a little desperate to shore up her self-esteem sometimes. "Care to try some?"

"I would love to, thanks. Brewed it yourself?"

"Every Monday," Lacey said cheerfully.

She didn't continue right away, which . . . probably left the statement open to creative interpretation.

"Glad I got here on Monday then."

Lacey blinked at him. "Well," she said quickly, "I mean it's fresh every day! I just don't brew it the rest of the week."

Really not helping your case here, Lacey . . .

"I was kidding." he assured her. "I didn't actually think that it was only brewed fresh on Mondays."

"Oh, thank God." Lacey's shoulders sagged a bit in relief, and she filled up a cup for him. Relief perhaps out of proportion with the situation, unless you were her. "You never know how these rumors can go crazy sometimes. Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry." Tully smiled. "I'm Tully Mars, nice to meet you."

"Lacey Burrows, and likewise," she replied, relaxing a bit more as she set the coffee on the counter for him. "Sorry, I know that was a little bit of an overreaction, but . . . well, you have one ex come to town and next thing you know everyone thinks he's an axe murderer, you get a little jumpy about rumors, right?"

"Why did they think he was an axe murderer?" asked Tully, who knew just how troublesome false accusations could be.

It's covered with Christmas cards -- most of which are taped shut. It's like Lacey doesn't want you to know who they came from.

It was probably a bit early for anyone to be thinking about it, but it couldn't hurt to start getting the word out. Right?

Murdock managed to find a spot among all the Christmas cards to put up a small note.

Rooms for rent. Contact Murdock at 555-CRZY (http://crazypilotman.livejournal.com/650.html).

It's raining. It's LOVELY -- but driving to work in it, before sunup, was TEH SUCK.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Luke's Diner, December 15 (Monday)

Mod Your Server

Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Re: Talk to Lacey

Community Bulletin Board

Re: Community Bulletin Board

OOC