Fixer-Uppers [all day]

[momslilassassin]

Ben's computer hadn't given him any trouble in several weeks, which had him a little paranoid, so today was devoted to running a full diagnostic on the machine to make sure nothing new had snuck past his firewalls.

So far, it looked clean. He was ignoring the weird way his Hawaii vacation pictures kept sorting themselves.

Fixer-Uppers was open!

Comments

[endsthegame]

At least Jane hadn't resorted to sending him any Hawaiian shirts yet, which had been a real fear for Ender earlier this week.

He came in with a bag of hamburgers hanging idly from his fingertips. "Ho, Ben," he said. Then noted the scrutiny of said computer, and added, "Trouble?"

[momslilassassin]

"No, just being vigilant," Ben said, looking up and smiling. "Lunch?"

[endsthegame]

Ender held up the bag, then kindly put it down in front of Ben on the desk. "Just in case you were starving after breakfast and two morning snacks," he snarked, lightly.

[momslilassassin]

"Only the one morning snack today," Ben said, grinning back, "so I've been wasting way. It's sad."

[endsthegame]

"You're all skin and bones," Ender said, taking one hamburger out of the bag and unwrapping it, "I can tell. Better avoid taking a dump, or you'll lose the last of your body mass."

[momslilassassin]

"That was a mean thing to say just before I eat," Ben told him.

[endsthegame]

"Cry me a river," Ender said, tossing him a burger, too.

[momslilassassin]

Ben grabbed it. "I would but then I'd have a sopping wet burger and no one wants to eat that," he replied, glancing over at his computer when it beeped at him.

Oooh, an email from Dink. He'd read that later.

[endsthegame]

"And you'd probably dehydrate, too," Ender surmised, pulling up a chair. "I hear that's painful."

[momslilassassin]

"I've never tried it," Ben said, biting into the burger, "and I'm not really anxious to, really. How's your day been in the several hours since I've seen you?"

[endsthegame]

"Good," Ender said, "Caught an interesting documentary on old Greek battles on TV - a few new things I didn't know yet. Which I know is fascinating. And I think I'm getting a free meal at the diner next week..." Despite trying to discourage Bod.

[momslilassassin]

Ben blinked. "Did you run into Sookie or something?"

[endsthegame]

"Hm? No, Bod. I suggested he get the job a while ago," Ender said, taking a bite from his burger.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri had her own reasons for staring apprehensively at her datapad when she came in during late morning.

Without preamble and without looking up until she got up to the counter, she announced, "Help me figure out a way to tell Face he is not allowed to come visit for Parents' Weekend?"

Like that.

[momslilassassin]

"Oh stang," Ben replied, gaping uselessly. "Telling him it's a bad idea would only encourage him, too."

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri grimaced. "I thought about telling him they'd be screening a marathon of Tetran Cowall movies that weekend, but then I realized it'd only make him more likely to show up and mock."

[momslilassassin]

"Yeah," Ben said. "And cunning disguises probably won't save us either."

[weetuskenraider]

"Since he'd be likely to tell us he perfected the art of cunning disguises," Tahiri added, making a face.

[momslilassassin]

"Think he'd buy we were stricken with a contagious disease?" Ben mused.

[weetuskenraider]

Tahiri snapped her fingers. "We could tell him it's one that has a good chance of disfiguring his oh-so-famous face . . ."

This was a doomed plan.

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded and pulled his laptop over. "Bothan redrash?" he suggested.

[weetuskenraider]

"Ew," Tahiri decided. "We'd have to get at least half the island to play along, though; isn't it awfully easy to spread?"

[momslilassassin]

"True," Ben admitted. "Fronk's Fever, or do you think he's heard Uncle Han tell that story?"

[weetuskenraider]

"I'm not sure anyone who's known Han this long hasn't heard most of his stories by now," Tahiri replied, sighing as she flicked through entries on her datapad. "Cyborrean rabies? Although maybe he'll make awful jokes about who bit whom."

[momslilassassin]

"We could just make something up and call it a rare Earth-bound disease," Ben suggested.