JGoB, Thursday morning

[stykera]

The bears, as if summoned by last night's conversation about them, had appeared all over the island this morning and Stark had acquired an armload of Coke bottles by the time he reached the bakery.

"You're not supposed to bring in outside food and drink," the man behind the counter called out when Stark opened the door. Stark started to protest and was met with laughter. "Nah, I'm kidding, you can't tell a polar bear no when it wants you to have soda, right? You need a bag? We got some nice canvas ones with the logo. Fit a lot of bottles. We checked. And we, uh, we got a lot of Coke desserts. Or breakfasts, we don't judge here. What're you in the mood for?"

There were multiple types of cupcakes.
A pound cake.
Empanadas.
Fudge.
Poke cake.
Brownies.
Cookies.

All sorts of sweets with polar bear-provided sodas mixed in.

That was how Stark ended up with 2 JGoB branded tote bags. The second one was in case of more bears on his way back to the apartment. He also, of course, brought an assortment of those Coca-Cola desserts back to his table with him.

He was starting with one of the peanut butter frosted cupcakes while he looked at photos of ugly Christmas sweaters on his phone. He still did not understand the sweaters but he was willing to play along tomorrow.



[I have lots of availability today due to my school being closed due to a gas leak (this school year is such a dumpster fire) and when life gives you gas leaks, you make posts? That is not a saying. Neither is when bears give you soda, make dessert. And yet. This post is very open for your baked good, polar bear soda, or alien needs! I'm very around!]

Comments

[throughaphase]

Kitty walked in with a Coke bottle, leaving a friendly polar bear waving outside the window, and took in today's offering.

"This is a lot of Coke."

[stykera]

"There are a lot of bears handing out bottles," Stark said. "But yes. It is. More than last year, maybe?"

Who could say, really?

[throughaphase]

"I like the bears, I'll take them over a lot of the other stuff," Kitty said.

[stykera]

"The bears are good," Stark agreed. "Friendly. Last year a lot of things weren't." Like those inflatable reindeer that tried to eat people. Oops.

"But I like the bears too. And the sodas. And," he held up his cupcake, "the results of the sodas."

[throughaphase]

"It's actually good?" Kitty asked. "I wasn't sure."

Despite giving her class soda cupcake recipes that time.

[stykera]

"I haven't tried all of them," Stark said, looking at the rather large box of baked goods he'd purchased. "Yet." He was only one alien, he could only eat so much at once but he was going to try.

"This one's good. And the cake last year was. We made soda cupcakes this summer one day and those were good."

[throughaphase]

"I had them do that a couple months ago," Kitty said. "It never sounds like something that makes sense."

[stykera]

"The bubbles help it rise," Stark said, having looked into this because he'd been curious. "And you need liquid anyway. The ones we made were good. Did yours turn out well? How is the cupcake class going?"

Probably more useful than the superhero class!

[throughaphase]

"It's actually going okay. It's a small class but I think that works," she said. "How's yours going?"

[doctorgingerspice]

Will, too, had an armload of Coke bottles that had been gradually acquired as he walked down the street.

Spotting Stark in the window, he (rather awkwardly, and almost dropping one of said bottles) maneuvered his way into the bakery.

"You weren't kidding." Not that he'd thought he was, but. It was kind of weird that they'd talked about the thing and then the thing had happened, okay.

[stykera]

"Why would I have been kidding?" Stark asked. "This place is odd enough I don't need to make anything up." He wasn't prone to making up stories anyway, as a general rule, though obviously Will wouldn't know that.

"But yes. Bears. With sodas. So many sodas. They have bags, if you need one. Or they might have a box you could use, if you ask."

[doctorgingerspice]

“I just meant- the timing is a little odd, don’t you think? Seeing as you literally just told me about this yesterday,” Will explained, absentmindedly starting to make a gesture with one hand and only stopping because it nearly sent his armful of Coke bottles cascading to the ground. “… A bag’s probably a good idea, though,” he conceded.

[stykera]

"A little odd," Stark agreed. "But everything is, here. Bears with drinks appearing after talking about bears with drinks appearing is barely odd at all compared to some of it." Like the decorations that wanted to eat people for example. Or the alots.

"Are you alright?"

[doctorgingerspice]

“I have more caffeinated drinks than I know what to do with,” this was not true, the caffeine would help with the not wanting to sleep, “but otherwise I’m okay. You?”

[stykera]

"I'm used to this," Stark said with a small shrug. "Mostly used to it. It still surprises me at times. But you're still very new and not used to quite so many odd things."

It was easier to accept weird stuff when you came from a very weird region of space, somehow. Usually.

[doctorgingerspice]

“I’m,” not planning on sticking around long enough to get used to it, “not quite there yet, I think.”

[stykera]

"Home wasn't so strange for you as it was for some of us, I think. Or at least a different sort of strange."

Yes, medical dramas were full of shocking things but did they have plant people? Little green amphibious aliens who farted helium? Nope.

[designateddadfriend]

"Is this -- that was --" Travis was just going to be stuck on 'sputtering' for awhile today. "I just got hugged by a polar bear?"

And yet, this was still better than dealing with his closeted dad! Or his best friend lusting after the man who killed his husband.

It was very strange to find Fandom life soothing, yes.

[stykera]

"That happens sometimes," Stark said. "They're very friendly." None of them had hugged him. Yet. But then Travis probably needed more hugs after his Thanksgiving.

"Did you get a soda too? I have...extra. If you didn't."

[designateddadfriend]

"I did," Travis said. "Are we actually expected to drink the random polar bear sodas?"

[stykera]

"I don't think they'll mind if you don't." The bears had never, to Stark's knowledge, chased anyone down and demanded they chug a soda but this was Fandom and anything could happen. "They've always been safe to drink before if you want to."

[designateddadfriend]

"How often does this happen?"

[stykera]

"Oh. You were here after December. It tends to...do things. Like the bears or yesterday's toys or cookies or eggnog in the pipes. Mistletoe. Things like that."

"The bears seem to come every year. At least I remember them from last year and from when I was here before."

[designateddadfriend]

". . . Yeah, I think I showed up in January," Travis said. "This is going to be all month?"

He'd managed to miss the creepy dolls yesterday. Thankfully.

[stykera]

"It's usually all month, I think," Stark told him. "Something different every day. So the toys are gone, at least I haven't seen any, and the bears won't be here tomorrow."

Probably for the best. Imagine if the Christmas Rager had a bunch of polar bears in attendance.