The Perk, Sunday Morning

[endsthegame]

"Just make sure the portal comes first thing in the morning on Monday," Ender sighed. "I don't want to be stuck here any longer than I have to-- yes, I know. I know. I realize there may be any number of layovers before we reach next weekend-- yes, I know. What I'm wondering is why it's possible for us to travel back in time here, when it's impossible to take a portal from Shakespeare to Earth back home--

"What do you mean, my universe has a 'rare philotic web construction'-- so it's a matter of varying temporal physics? ... So if I understand this correctly, my boyfriend is complicated because he's 'starting to thread', whatever that means-- look, just get me the portal Monday morning. Please. I don't care how many layovers it takes-- Yes, thank you."

Ender put down his phone and rubbed at his face. "A fine weekend away this is turning out to be," he muttered.

"Look at it this way. The multiverse at large is proving you right," Jane said merrily. "Going back to Fandom is a terrifically bad idea. Always."

"Thanks," Ender muttered.

[[ open! Jane's comments NFB. ]]

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

This morning, Helen had to get out of whatever that frat house of a dorm she was staying at this weekend was. So, ratty hair and torn jeans and all, she ended up in town, and at the first coffee place she could find.

She asked the barista whether they had fair trade coffee. Even if she didn't maybe genuinely care about the answer, already glancing around the place while the words rolled out of her mouth.

[endsthegame]

Ender glanced up from his coffee to determine who it was that had just come in, and then realized that would be futile. It wouldn't be anyone he knew, and even if it was, the likelihood of them being the same person they had been two days ago was... well, very small.

He lifted up his cup of coffee and took a sip.

[whenshewasnice]

Well, this face might have been passingly familiar, but obscured by messy strands of hair. And not belonging to a person who was usually here, no. Fandom, Fandom.

Helen gave the barista a critical glance when she was told there was fair trade coffee around. And then she looked over at Ender. "Is the coffee here even any good?"

Because she could probably get it for free back at the dorms. And a barista wasn't going to be giving her an honest answer.

[endsthegame]

"It's decent," Ender said, taking another sip before setting it down. "Better than anything you'll get up at the school, slightly better than Starbucks."

He drank a lot of coffee. Ben's fault.

[whenshewasnice]

"I don't buy Starbucks." And that was Starbucks' fault, judging by the slightly derisive look on her face when she said that. "Other than that, sounds fine."

So she bought a coffee.

[endsthegame]

"You're welcome," Ender said, a faint note of amusement in his voice - he had finally recognized her features. Combined with the fact she didn't recognize him, well... Fandom. "Always happy to help another java addict."

[whenshewasnice]

"Appreciated." See, she could be polite. Ish. A little too late. "Less an addiction and more a coping mechanism, but you were probably close enough."

[endsthegame]

"I think that's probably just an issue of semantics," Ender said dryly. "But it's the weekend for it."

[whenshewasnice]

Helen got her coffee and took a sip, shrugging.

"Meaning?"

[endsthegame]

"A lot of new people around, causing confusion and headaches.""

[whenshewasnice]

"Well, we don't like it here either," said Helen, who was pretty sure she was one of those new people, yes. "It's not my new favorite place."

[endsthegame]

"That was actually the confusion part of the equation," Ender said, sounding friendly. "I was just trying to visit my friends' graduation - and then this place happened. If it's not your favorite, you have good instincts."

[firstnameagent.livejournal.com]

The orchestra marched in, found a nice corner to cram into, and started playing something (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENAlEH37zVI) they felt was coffee shop-appropriate. Admittedly, they thought everything was coffee shop-appropriate.

[endsthegame]

At least the probably-one-weekend-only orchestra had good taste. Ender lifted his coffee cup to them. "Thank you," he called, and applauded when they were done.

What? He could appreciate the classics.

[glacial_queen]

Happy birthday to her. Okay, it was probably petty of Karla to feel extra put out today, but there had been plans. Hawaii plans. Spending-time-with-her-friends plans. Last-birthday-on-this-island plans. Evening-activities-not-appropriate-for-public-comms-plans.

And instead, Fandom had gone crazy. Again. Ugh, this island.

Breezing inside, she gave the Ender-lookalike a bare nod, more interested in coffee than striking up conversation with someone who looked like a friend but probably wasn't. The one benefit of it being that kind of weekend was that she could avoid dealing with her current Ender-issues for another week any by graduation, hopefully she would have them under control.

"One coffee," she ordered. "And please tell me that you're a real barista and you didn't just wake up, notice the uniform and decide to come in anyway."

[endsthegame]

"The barista seems to be quite herself today," Ender supplied from behind her. He wasn't exactly surprised to see her dismiss him, not today, but that didn't mean he had any intention of going with it.

Hell. They seemed to have something to talk about. Alone in an ocean of strangers was a perfect time to talk about it.

"Unlike Ben. And going by last night's radio, Warren."

[glacial_queen]

There went Karla's birthday coffee as she whirled around. "Ender!" she cried, unsure whether to be excited or disappointed. "You're you!"

[endsthegame]

Ender winced immediately. "Karla! Coffee!"

[glacial_queen]

Karla was already hissing and shaking off her hand. A bit of Craft soothed the burn, and she started mopping up the spilled coffee with a muttered apology to the barista for the handfuls of napkins.

"Took me by surprise," she called to him.

Because he'd missed that. Obviously.

[endsthegame]

"I can tell," Ender said wryly - and not yelling, now that the whole coffee thing was dealt with. "How about you grab the next one and sit down? I could use a friendly face."

And also they needed to have a conversation.

[glacial_queen]

"Errr, I was just gonna..."

She looked at the barista who was mopping up the counter still and realized her second cup was going to take a few more minutes. Yes. And if she was reading the look she was getting from said barista correctly, there had better be a damn good tip involved if she was hoping for a third.

Ever.

"Sure," she said, accepting defeat with grace. "I take it Ben--?"

[endsthegame]

"Woke up yesterday morning shouting about a gun, and is now wandering around thinking he just had a very unfortunate one-night stand."

At this point, Ender could only sound dryly amused about that. Well, amused and annoyed. A winning combination.

[glacial_queen]

"Warren is wandering around blue and with metal wings, worried that he's going to meet up with someone from the Resistance last August," Karla returned, more dry than amused. "Apparently some of them are still holding grudges about what happened when Umbridge ruled."

[endsthegame]

"Charming," Ender said. Because what else could you say? It was a Weekend. It wasn't about to last, but it was a pain in the ass while it happened.

"I knew coming back here was a bad idea."

[glacial_queen]

"I'm sorry I made you stay," Karla said quietly, ducking her head. "Or, well, not made you, but invited you along to something you knew was important. And, you know, thanks for going to that again."

Gee, this conversation didn't feel stilted at all! Maybe he'd think she was thrown by the weekend?