The Park [Wednesday Afternoon]

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

One of the bad things about this island, Hatter had found, was that it could get right boring when you let it. If you stayed inside and stared at the walls, you found yourself nearly ready to kick a hole in the nearest wall just to get some fresh air. So, fresh air was what Hatter was getting today.

He found that he continued to like the park for reasons that he couldn't really pinpoint. He guessed Alice would have liked something like this, sitting near a pond and talking quietly before she got bored and decided she wanted to teach him self defense or go somewhere else.

But, she wasn't here and Hatter was decidedly not thinking about her. Not at all. He was reading the local paper and sipping a tea that was currently settled on the bench beside him. The flamingos were a little loud today and it was distracting him.

"Would you quiet down?" he asked, frowning. "I don't have any food and even if I did, I wouldn't share it with you. It'd be for me."

And now he was talking to the flamingos. Fantastic.

[Open, of course]

Comments

[14andseven]

It was definitely a park sort of day, today. Roland was walking along, looking for a good spot to set up some busking when he spotted Hatter.

". . . Do they talk back to you?"

Around here, you never knew.

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"Haven't yet," Hatter said, glancing up, "but I'm told that wouldn't be too unusual here. Maybe they're just terrible conversationalists."

[14andseven]

"Always a possibility." Roland shifted his guitar case to his left hand and offered his right for a shake. "Roland. You're . . . newish?"

Not so new as to discount the possibility of talking flamingos, anyway.

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"New enough," he said, taking the man's outstretched hand and giving it a shake. "Hatter. I think it's just past my two month anniversary of being here. Should throw a party or something."

[14andseven]

"Be sure to invite the flamingos," Roland joked.

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

Hatter cocked his head and glanced at the flamingos.

"You know, that's not a bad idea but then I'd be afraid they'd actually show up at my flat and I'd be the bad host with no flamingo food around."

[14andseven]

"I think they eat shrimp," Roland said. "I heard somewhere that that's why they're pink."

He was not the most well-informed street musician, no.

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"How does shrimp turn them pink?" Hatter wondered. "Are shrimp pink? I haven't gotten up close and personal with one in...ever."

[14andseven]

"They are when you cook them," Roland said. "Though I'm not sure how a flamingo would go about cooking a shrimp."

With a stove, obviously. Really, Roland, somewhere Rebecca was rolling her eyes so hard at you.

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"And would a flamingo even want to cook a shrimp?" Hatter had to wonder. "Aren't they sort of related in a distant way? With the water and all?"

He honestly didn't know.

[14andseven]

"One's a bird," Roland noted. "And one's a fish."

He was reasonably certain that both being water-lovers didn't actually make them that biologically similar.

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"...opposites attract?" Hatter tried, snickering.

[14andseven]

"That only works when it comes to cartoon cats."

Oh Roland. Your pop culture references are so outdated and misplaced.

[begmetwice.livejournal.com]

"Now there's a sign of mental stability if ever I saw one," Irene commented, arms crossed around herself as she wandered over. "Arguing with birds."

And hello to you, too.

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"And what gave you the idea that I was mentally stable?" he wondered, glancing up at her. "Perhaps this is just normal behavior for one such as myself."

[begmetwice.livejournal.com]

"No one I've ever liked is truly all there, anyway," Irene decided, leaning over the back of his bench to look at the paper. "Why do you keep reading these? Didn't you complain about how horribly boring the news is?"

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"It gives me something to do," he replied, glancing back at her. "And besides, sometimes there's something ridiculous in here that makes me laugh."

Rare but it happened.

"If you haven't noticed, dear, there isn't a whole lot to do around this place. It's terribly small."

[begmetwice.livejournal.com]

"You're telling me." Irene rolled her eyes. "I have half a mind to take up teaching just to have something to do."

It wasn't the worst idea she'd ever had, but still. Teenagers. All the time. Forever.

"Have you actually left the island, though? The mainland's a bit better." A bit.

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"I have," he said, leaning against the bench and resting an arm against the back of it. "Just a few days ago, in fact. I went about bought one of those phone things you were lecturing me about awhile ago."

The use of the phrase 'phone thing' was intentional there. He knew what it was.

[begmetwice.livejournal.com]

"That wasn't a lecture, darling, believe me. If it was, you'd still be bearing the marks," Irene said with a coy little smile, coming around to perch on the arm of the bench. "May I see it? I'm a bit of an expert with phone things."

Oh yes. She was fairly sure he was saying it that way to get under her skin. She was trying not to let it work.

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"Of course," he said, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and passing her what looked like the latest Apple product. He honestly hadn't cared but the associate had been cute and she'd tried very hard with her sales pitch.

"I think I managed to turn it on all right but I couldn't figure out where to speak into," he said, managing to keep a straight face even if he was still teasing.

[begmetwice.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it's here," Irene told him helpfully, pointing to the earpiece with a smile. "Be sure to shout so that people will be able to hear you."

See, she could do that, too.

"But if you're really confused, you could always ask Siri," she added, smiling more widely. "She's great fun."

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"Is that who was talking to me?" Hatter asked. "She has a name? She was a touch annoying. Constantly talking to me and all."

[begmetwice.livejournal.com]

"She says funny things, sometimes," Irene said, shrugging. "I mean, if you're bored, Siri can be quite entertaining."

She held the home button until she heard the two beeps that signaled Siri. "Siri, when is the world going to end?"

"I don't know, but maybe we should put paper bags over our heads or something."

[That is the actualfax answer my Siri just gave me. TRUE STORY.]

[teashopconman.livejournal.com]

"And what is that going to do against the possible end of the world?" Hatter had to wonder, shaking his head. "So you don't witness the complete annihilation of the human race?"