Luke's, Friday evening

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

Parker was avoiding all that stuff about the students' parents being here this weekend. Partly because what little she knew about most of her former students was that she didn't want to meet their parents unless she got to kick them, and it was all just oogy.

Meanwhile, there was comfort food. And comfort ice cream.

SPECIALS
Decadent Ghirardelli Chocolate Milkshake
Godiva Trufflata
Bananas Foster



Luke's was open.

[ooc: and up late, and expecting a few people. Feel free to mod your service if you want a late-evening snack.]

Comments

[vdistinctive]

"You know, we usually like to have some protein on that specials menu. Somewhere." Eliot had spent most of the day getting both the loft and his house spotless for Nana. And Luke's, as spotless as you could get a working diner, anyway. He leaned into the kitchen as he went past. "One of y'all get me a bananas foster. And -- add some rum."

Sure, he'd already met Nana. But now Nana was coming into his space, and he had to make sure she knew it was good enough for her boy.

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"There's a chocolate-covered-bacon milkshake recipe I found," Parker offered. "That's protein. Do you think Nana would like that?"

See, now, being ready for Nana: that was something she was willing to think about. Eliot was getting all super-domestic, Parker was wondering if stealing Nana a present from somewhere in D.C. would be appropriate. Or was that more of a going-away-again-we'll-miss-you present?

[vdistinctive]

"Her taste buds maybe," Eliot said. "Her heart. . . ?" Maaaaybe not. "She gave me some of her recipes when we were in Chicago. But then -- you know -- she's comin' all the way here to eat her own food. . . ."

He wasn't used to this part. How long had it been since he'd had a home base to even invite important people into?

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"She's coming all the way here to see Hardison. Alec," Parker corrected herself, fingers knotting together. "And, you know. Our house. And your puppy. And our lives. And eat any food that is good, so you are in the clear, you know that, right?" She leaned over to glare at one of the cooks. "MAKE HIS SHAKE FASTER. Nana is coming! Nana is coming!"

The dishwasher guy gave her an incredulous look. That might have become a refrain over the last few days.

[vdistinctive]

"Parker, breathe." Said the guy who had been quietly doing his own freaking out since Hardison first talked about inviting Nana for Parents' Weekend. "She already likes us. It'll be fine."

That had been his own internal refrain.

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"Yes. Yes." Parker got up to stand on the top of the booth seats, and pace their length. "I just want to be sure she likes it here. And wants to come back. And that nothing scares or worries or scars her. Or makes her not like us any more."

Well, Nana would never not like and love Hardison, and Eliot was easy to love and like. Parker? Well.... Nana liked her and that was just proof Nana was awesome.

[vdistinctive]

"Parker, I just cleaned --" There was no point. At least she wasn't walking on things customers mostly ate off of. "That woman's seen and done plenty. It'll take more'n even Fandom can throw at 'er to spook her."

[almostcarygrant.livejournal.com]

"Now, that doesn't sound ominous at all."

Standing in the entrance to the kitchen was an older man-- maybe not quite elderly, but pushing it-- wearing designer everything, a Hermes scarf, carrying a cane... and sipping a milkshake.

"What could possibly spook the average visitor about this charming island?"

Archie grinned up at Parker.

"Hello, Parker."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"ARCHIE!!" Parker screeched, and dove off the seat tops to hug him. "YOU'RE HERE! How are you here? How did you know to come? How did you find us?!"

Many of the staff were watching this with confusion, trepidation, and the chef who'd been making Eliot's milkshake was trying to pantomime the guy just taking it off his hands and not being able to stop him.

[vdistinctive]

"Leach." Eliot's reaction was the polar opposite of Parker's. "You just stole my milkshake."

[almostcarygrant.livejournal.com]

"Spencer. Oh, did I?" Archie said airily. "So sorry. I'll pay for it, of course." He hugged Parker against him a moment, and then took another sip of the re-appropriated milkshake. "It's delicious. I see you have quite the talented staff here." He smiled at Parker, semi-ignoring Eliot. "As I would expect. And as for how I got here, why, I got the loveliest invitation to 'Parent's Weekend.' Not quite what expected, but much too good an opportunity to pass up, I thought."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"We didn't send it. It must've been the moose!" Parker now was wondering if the moose liked chocolate. "Yay! We can show you all over the place, and you can see the school where we teach sometimes-- Eliot's teaching shop right now-- and have dinner here--oh! And you can meet Hardison's Nana! She's wonderful, she smells like peaches and happiness."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot gave a mighty eye roll and glared at the cook until he seemed to get the message to make Eliot a new damn milkshake. "Damn right 'as you'd expect', I don't run no half-assed establishment. . . ."

Be nice, Eliot, that was basically your father-in-law you were grumbling about now.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hardison was babbling. In fact, Hardison had been babbling ever since he'd picked up Nana from the gate. It was entirely possible he'd been babbling before then, too, just to prepare what he was going to say to Nana when he saw her, but at least there hadn't been an audience for that.

"...an' this is Luke's," he said, holding the door open for his Nana, her carry-on slung over his shoulder. "I ain't sure why it's called that an' we ain't renamed it to Eliot's yet, but that's another day. An', uhh, this is the specials board, an' these are the booths, an'...."

[foster-nana.livejournal.com]

"Parker's the one who made the specials, huh?" Nana asked, looking around the diner with assessing eyes and an approving smile. "Not enough Hot Pockets to be your doing and Eliot, at least, understands food groups."

[vdistinctive]

"We got some of those on the menu even if they ain't on the board just now," Eliot assured her. Funny how just seeing her walk in made all the anxiousness about whether "his place" would be good enough or not just disappear. "Ma'am," he greeted with a somewhat rueful smile, both for using that term instead of "Nana" like she told him to in Chicago, and for the fact that Archie was still lurking somewhere eating all his good cheese. "Your trip alright?"

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"NANA!" Most of the staff flinched, then recovered when Parker rushed over and held her arms out awkwardly for a hug. "Isn't the diner great? The island is cute, right?" She checked on Hardison, who maybe needed to take a breath. "Oo, I have a surprise too, Hardison!"

The surprise was being introduced to the freezer at the moment, while nibbling the excellent appetizers. He'd be back in a bit.

[foster-nana.livejournal.com]

Nana was only too happy to wrap her arms around Parker and draw her close for a tight hug that smelled like baby powder and baking treats, even after a several hour flight. She also held one arm out and gestured to Eliot to come over and hug her, too, because there was no way she wasn't greeting all her babies with love and affection.

"Hi darlin', look at how happy you are," Nana said, beaming at Parker. "And my trip was fine, baby, don't you fret none. I told Hardison not to worry about picking me up at the airport, that I could take a taxi to the island, but you know how our boy is." She gave Eliot a droll look over Parker's shoulder. "I think the hardest part of the drive was riding in that van. Needs a good airing."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Not you too, Nana!" Hardison groaned, rolling his eyes fondly. "Lucille smells like hard work!" He dropped a kiss on Parker's head before putting Nana's bag on one of the booth seats. "What kinda surprise? Nate an' Sophie announced their weddin' yet?"

[vdistinctive]

"Other people ain't need to be smellin' your hard work, man," Eliot said, obediently going in for that hug with a minimal show of grudge. And yeah, no. I think they're still arguin' over where to have it."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

Parker was hugging Nana happily but carefully, and said to Hardison over Nana's head, "Lucille deserves some scented candles for all the hard work she does." To Nana she said, "We're so happy you're here!" As usual, the presence of Nana made everything better. "My surprise is having appetizers."

[foster-nana.livejournal.com]

"Oh, you got someone visiting, too?" Nana asked, looking pleased as punch at the news. She didn't know Parker's family situation much, but the fact that she had someone who would come for this weekend was enough to delight her. "Tell me all about them, sweetheart. Though--can we maybe sit down? All those stairs are hard on a body."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hardison was looking less delighted. Because Nate and Sophie were in Europe as of a few hours ago, which meant that the only other possible identity of the surprise would be...

"Oh, you invited Archie, mama?" he asked, trying to paste a smile on while frantically wondering which cane Archie had brought.

[vdistinctive]

Eliot snorted and rolled his eyes. "No. She didn't."

Dammit, Fandom.

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"The moose did it!" Parker was still thrilled about that. She finally let go of Nana and said, "I'm gonna get him, okay? And then we can all have dinner, and did you see how clean this place is?"

Hey, Eliot. She had your back.

"ARCHIE! COMPANY!"