The Perk | Late Tuesday Afternoon

[knife_bender]

Diego had enough of the stupid gourds falling out of random drawers after the second time it happened. He was just not dealing with that sort of nonsense today. So he went to the coffee shop and ordered a PSL, feeling bad when the barista opened a cupboard and nearly got knocked out by a squash.

He made sure to tip her well before taking a seat next to the window.

[Open!]

Comments

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie was the kind of annoying person who placed her order and immediately set to answering texts while she waited, so it took her a moment after she'd come into the shop before she noticed who was over there by the window. "Oh hey," she greeted him, wandering over once she had her own drink. "You're looking better than the last time I saw you."

[knife_bender]

"I can take a beating," Diego said. "It's a skill."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Hopefully one that doesn't come in handy all that often," Annie replied, smiling at him. "You waiting on someone?"

She gestured to an empty chair at his table, because she was totally going to sit down if not.

[knife_bender]

"No, sit," he said, pushing the chair out with his foot. "I was just trying to get out of my apartment before I got killed by a falling pumpkin."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"That would be so sad," Annie decided, taking that offered seat. "'Here lies Diego, who was really tough and cool until he got a pumpkin to the head.'"

[knife_bender]

"So you think I'm tough and cool, huh?" he teased.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie pulled an obviously exaggerated wince. "I mean, I did until I knew pumpkin attacks were your weakness. Now - less tough, still pretty cool."

[knife_bender]

"Say that to the barista," Diego said, nodding his head over at the one in question. "She almost got a concussion from a squash and still made my drink. That's pretty tough."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"A true hero," Annie decided, tossing off a salute to said barista. (She got an eyeroll in return, which was exactly what she deserved.) "This does suck a lot more than the candy corn and the little cats, I have to say."

[knife_bender]

"Oh I'd take this over the candy corn any day," Diego said. "Candy corn is an abomination."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Wrong," Annie declared. "Candy corn is fantastic, and it's a shame they don't make it year-round."

No, Annie had disgusting taste.

[knife_bender]

"There's something wrong with you," Diego joked. "You need help."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Maybe you just haven't had the right candy corn." There was no such thing. It was all the same. There was no nuance to candy corn whatsoever. "Plus it's so cute."

Annie was one of those people who considered a cartoon piece of candy corn with a big smile on it to be an appropriate Halloween decoration.

[knife_bender]

"That's the first time I've heard someone refer to candy as cute," he said.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Somehow not surprised. You don't strike me as a real, like, Pinterest kind of guy," Annie decided. "Marshmallow Peeps are also cute, for the record."

At least they had little faces, so that made slightly more sense.

[knife_bender]

"Hey, I can appreciate cute things." Seeing as one was sitting in front of him. "I will agree with you on the Peeps. The bunny ones specifically."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"They look less questionable than the chicks," Annie agreed. "But not so cute that I feel bad about eating them. It's a fine line that cute candy has to walk, you know. Or hop, as the case may be."

[knife_bender]

"My brother and I used to put them in the microwave until they exploded," Diego said. "Didn't look so cute after that."

This would be during the occasional thirty minute break their father gave them between training sessions, obviously.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"See, this is one of those things I feel like I missed out on, as an only kid," Annie sighed. There was also the fact that Peeps would have never been allowed in Donna January's house. "Which brother?"

[knife_bender]

"Ben," he replied. "The one brother that didn't completely drive me nuts."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I think brothers are contractually obligated to at least try to drive you nuts," Annie replied, with a smile. "Sisters, too. That's what I hear, anyway. Is he your favorite?"

She was pretty sure you weren't supposed to have favorite siblings, but when you had six of them....

[knife_bender]

"I guess if I had a favorite he would have been it," Diego said. Then, lightly, "He died when we were seventeen."

He tried to be as non-awkward as possible when he said that 'cause he didn't want her to feel bad.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie was just going to be in a perpetual state of feeling bad for Diego's childhood as it was revealed to her, was the thing. But she appreciated the effort.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly, reaching over to touch his arm lightly. Then, with her free hand, she lifted her cup in a little toast. "To Ben, then. And blowing up Peeps in the microwave."

[knife_bender]

"To Ben," Diego said, lifting his cup in return. "He would also probably be a fan of pumpkin spice lattes."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"A man of fine taste. Is that what you've got in there?" Annie smiled at him over her own cup. "You're full of surprises."

[knife_bender]

"They're too good to be ashamed of," Diego said with a shrug. "Besides, I can stab anybody who makes fun of me for it."

"Well except for you."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"You know, my whole life I've wondered whether there was reason I was given powers," Annie mused. "And there it is: to be able to give you shit about pumpkin spice without getting stabbed for it."

A pause, and, "But no, you're right, they're great."

[knife_bender]

"Well see now I'm doubting my own taste," Diego said. "Because you like candy corn."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"We contain multitudes, Diego," Annie told him with an air of wisdom, nodding. "Which means we can both like pumpkin spice and you can be wrong about candy corn."

[knife_bender]

"You really are very hilarious."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"It's one of my superpowers," Annie replied easily. "That and my amazing taste in candy."

[knife_bender]

"Is there anything you can't do?" he teased.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I'm super bad at bartending so far," she told him very honestly, shrugging like 'what can you do?'

[knife_bender]

"Do you keep dropping the glasses or something?" he asked.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Okay, not that bad," Annie amended, "but like, I have to look up how to make all the mixed drinks and half the beers I pour are all foamy. To be fair, my interview for this job was about...two minutes long?"

So this was not her fault.