Luke's Diner, Saturday

[what_the_shock]

Miguel arrived to work to find the staff arguing about which vegan dish they should serve.

Miguel gave them all a look, went into the freezer, and grabbed a package of meat.

The busboy looked at him like he was a monster.

"This meat's been in there longer than this week, guaranteed," Miguel told him firmly. "Whatever it was," he looked at the package, "it wasn't talking when it died."

He assumed. He wasn't going to say that.

"Now cook or get out of the way."


Today's Specials:
Nerf burgers
Nerf tacos
Vegan mac and cheese


Luke's was open!

Comments

[always_someone]

Look, even Norman could allow that it was way too nice a week to spend it all cooped up inside. He'd gone out to take a walk, and was enjoying the breeze and the fresh air and the sound of the birds singing- it was a far cry better than the horrifying wasteland the island had been last week.

He actually did a double-take as he passed by Luke's, blinking at the specials board.

And then he gasped. Wait. Wait. Either they were making burgers out of foam darts, or...

That was Norman, rushing into the diner.

"CanIgetanerfburger???"

IT WAS IMPORTANT.

[OOC: I was the living dead yesterday BUT LET ME HAVE THIS.]

[what_the_shock]

Miguel blinked, then shrugged. "Sure. What would you like on it?"

[always_someone]

"It doesn't matter," Norman replied. "It's homework."

There was a pause, and then he added, "Um. But if they're any good, I'll get another one for me with whatever you think goes best?"

It was lunchtime.

[what_the_shock]

"They're not that different from beef," Miguel said. "I'll get you two. You like onions on it?"

[always_someone]

"On the one for me, please," Norman replied, nodding. "Maybe not so much stuff on the other one? It has to keep for Monday."

[what_the_shock]

"Okay. Want me to wrap that one up, then?" Miguel asked.

[always_someone]

"Yeah, please," Norman agreed. "Thank you."

He could probably just take a photo of the burger he'd gotten for himself, but... eh. There was no way he was letting anybody dig up a grave for the dirt, so they'd have grave dirt photos if they had anything for that entry at all. He wanted something to bring in to class on Monday.

[what_the_shock]

"No problem," Miguel said. He put in the order and gave the cook a stern look, then turned back to Norman. "You want a drink with that? I think they're all normal this week."

[always_someone]

"A Coke actually sounds pretty good," Norman admitted, nodding a little. "Please? Thank you. Those sodas last week were..."

He just kind of made a face. Last week in general had been...

[what_the_shock]

"The best of a lot of really bad food?" Miguel asked. "Coke coming up." He went to pull it.

"So, how are classes going for you...Norman, right?"

[always_someone]

"Norman, right," Norman agreed, smiling wryly. "They're... fine. I mean, they're fine. I have the class on Monday, which is about teamwork. And then Thursdays are blacksmithing and philosophy, and... I probably won't fail any of them?"

But he wasn't exactly some sort of savant in any particular one of them. He felt the most engaged in philosophy? But that didn't mean he thought he was any good at it.

Norman Babcock: Fairly Average Kid Who Can See Ghosts.

[what_the_shock]

"Sounds good." Hey, if you said so, Norman. Miguel slid a Coke over to him. "So you need a burger for your teamwork class?"

[always_someone]

"It's a scavenger hunt," Norman replied, "with a twist. We have a list, a bunch of stuff, and only the people on the team who can collect those things are the ones who don't know what those things are. And I kind of thought I knew what everything was, you know? But then I saw the sign about nerf burgers, and..."

He shrugged.

"It's not foam darts, so it's a nerf I didn't know. It counts."

[what_the_shock]

"Huh." Miguel shrugged. "Yeah, it's an animal from some other world, near as I can tell. Just the first thing I grabbed from the freezer."

[always_someone]

"And that would be why I didn't know it," Norman replied. And then laughed faintly. "I don't suppose there's anything in the freezer called 'grave dirt' that isn't the obvious for a kid from Earth, too, huh?"

[what_the_shock]

"Not that I know of," Miguel said. "Sorry."

[always_someone]

"That's fine," Norman decided, shrugging. "This is already more than I figured I'd have to contribute. I'll take it."

[what_the_shock]

Norman's first burger was put up on the window, and Miguel checked it and packed it up. "There you go - one nerf burger for a scavenger hunt."