Pizza Planet, Friday

[carbsliftthespirit]

If one were to ask Raiden if he felt a little bit constrained by his chosen medium sometimes, he would go off on a rant about the glories of pizza, because that was just who he was, but honestly? Sometimes, a little. He had a great taco bake recipe he couldn't make for Pizza Planet, because, y'know, it wasn't a pizza.

But he could make taco pizza, and that was almost as good. Better, in some ways, because it was pizza.

Specials
Taco Pizza
Chicken Enchilada Pizza
Cilantro Lime Chicken Pizza

Pizza Planet is open!

Comments

[beautiful_boc]

Because she had been so kind and generous, Boc truly cherished the little bit of pocket money that Nell had given him the other day, to the point where he almost couldn't bear the idea of actually spending it, no matter how much he was certain she'd insist that spending was what it was for. But he'd so rarely been given anything that he viewed the funny papers and the shiny coins with a reverence like they would be forever precious to him.

However...

She had given him quite a bit (certainly in his mind, anyway), and she had also introduced him to pizza, and, after a few days of scavenging for sustenance around the island (which was proving to be a bit difficult; those mask-marked critters with the judging eyes seemed to already have a claim on the best scavenging spots, and he certainly didn't want to stir up any trouble!), he was craving more pizza rather terribly. After a good deal of torturous indecision, he decided he could perhaps spare a little bit of his money from Nell for another delicious, delectable slice...

So it was with a heavy heart that he walked through the door of Pizza Planet that day, but his attention shifted quite suddenly once he looked up.

"Oi!" he said, staring in surprise. "But it's you, innit? You're the man from the park those few times!"

[carbsliftthespirit]

Honestly, Raiden was assuming Boc was a demon, but he didn't, you know, hold that against a person automatically or anything. Demons could eat pizza too. Maybe it would help them see the light and stop trying to drag souls into the Pit to torment forever, and make his actual job easier.

He was, however, confused. The voice might have seemed kind of familiar, but he couldn't place why... "Uh, yes?" he said. "I mean, I have been to the park a few times, but I don't...I don't think we've met?"

[beautiful_boc]

Demon. Demi-human. Really, they were just a few letters and some spare change apart, and most demi-humans certainly would fit the bill for what Raiden was thinking, but Boc had always been quite a bit of the odd man out.

"Oh, but we have," Boc insisted, taking a moment to press a hand to his chest imploringly. "Though I'm not surprised you mightn't remember me. Not because I'm so unremarkable, although, really, I am that, too, but because I wasn't quite myself at the time. I was a tree. Surely, you must remember that?"

He'd even come back a second time, just to apologize!

[carbsliftthespirit]

"Oh, Mr. Tree! I mean, Boc. Mr. Boc! Hi! I didn't, uh, didn't recognize you like that." Obviously. He hadn't been able to pick him out as a tree, either. "Good to see you all uncursed or whatever that was!"

[beautiful_boc]

"T-thank you," said Boc, his head bobbing a little. "I'm glad for it, too, although it could have been worse, I suppose, than just being a tree. Nell helped me out; she's terribly kind, she is. People here in general seem quite nice, even to trees!"

He was honestly a little surprised, actually, that both Nell and Raiden (so far, anyway) had continued to be nice to him, even after he wasn't a tree any more.

"And she introduced me to pizza as well! I rather enjoyed it, pizza. I've never had anything like it before; I was hoping they might let me have a bit more, actually..."

[carbsliftthespirit]

"You'd never had pizza before?" Raiden asked, gobsmacked even though he knew some people came from dark, benighted places without pizza. "Well, you've come to the right place, buddy! Welcome to Pizza Planet! What kind of pizza would you like?" Wait, too big of a question. "Do you know what kind Nell had?" He didn't know her regular order off the top of his head.

[beautiful_boc]

"W-well," said Boc, a little staggeringly, because that seemed like a lot of enthusiasm for pizza that he wasn't quite prepared for. "I...I don't quite remember, there was an awful lot going on, I'd just been a tree, and she was going to get me a room, but I think we...we kept it simple, with it being my first time and all. What other kinds are there?"

[hasaknightjob]

Steven was a man on a mission today. Which was why he popped by into Pizza Planet some time in the afternoon. "Raiden! Hello!

[carbsliftthespirit]

"Hi!" Raiden said. "Steven, what can I do for ya today?"

He tried not to think about the fact that it would probably involve vegan cheese, because that was Steven's choice to make.

[hasaknightjob]

"One of your lovely vegan pizzas, please," Steven said, because Raiden had guessed correctly. "Large. Llewellyn and I'll be having that for dinner. Also here."

Steven peered around to try to see who was working besides Raiden, then pulled out what he hoped was the correct amount of small gift bags from his satchel. "For you and anyone else who's about. In honor of Purim, you see."

If Raiden looked inside a bag he'd find hamantaschen, chocolate, trail mix, and a small bottle of grape juice. Not in Raiden sized amounts, of course. But hopefully it was the thought that counted?

[carbsliftthespirit]

One large pizza for dinner for two whole people? Sounded fake to Raiden, but he had accepted long ago that he didn't understand vegans on multiple levels. "Sure thing! What kind would you like? Fake pepperoni, fake sausage, veggie...cheese..." Vegan cheese. "Or I can do the specials today vegan. We got some chick'n in.

"Oh, thanks, that's so nice of you! I didn't get you anything...except pizza, I guess. Who's Llewellyn? I don't think I know them?"

[hasaknightjob]

"Can you?" Steven asked, touched that Raiden would offer. "Then let's try the enchilada one vegan then, if it's not too much trouble? Cheers.

"And you might know him as Detective Watts? Runs the Trooper Station. He goes by his last name, usually," Steven explained. "Might be why his first name didn't ring a bell."

Of course Steven of all people could understand the multitude of reasons why someone's name might not ring a bell. Bloody memory problems.

[carbsliftthespirit]

"Sure thing!" Raiden agreed as he punched the order in. "That'll be up in just a little bit."

"Oh, Detective Watts! Yeah, I only know him as Detective Watts," Raiden admitted. "You guys must be pretty good friends, to be on a first name basis." From what Raiden remembered of the Victorians.

Also the sharing of pizza, but Raiden didn't share a pizza even with his close friends, largely because, well, he needed more than one to himself.

[grenadesandohana]

"Howzit, brah," Steve said, grinning as he ambled into the shop. "These sound awesome today."

[carbsliftthespirit]

"I woke up this morning really wanting to make a taco bake," Raiden confided, "but it's not a pizza, and I didn't want the guys at El Burrito Loco to get their tortillas in a wad about me stealing their gig, so..." he gestured to the specials board. "Compromise."

[grenadesandohana]

"Now I'm picturing tortillas in a wad," Steve admitted with a chuckle. "It's not a pretty picture."

Such a waste of tortillas!

"I don't think even Danny can complain about chicken and lime pizza, though," he said. "Let me get that, a large sausage and pepperoni in case he's a whiny baby about it--" Steve said it with love and also like he didn't show up weekly to basically yank Danny's pigtails, "and some garlic knots."

[carbsliftthespirit]

"The tortillas don't deserve that," Raiden agreed. "They can have a much better destiny as tacos..." Now he wanted tacos.

"Sure thing! I'll get that right in for ya. What have you and Danny been up to lately?"

[grenadesandohana]

"We went back to Hawai'i last weekend," Steve said. "A friend of ours got engaged on Valentine's Day and so there was a big party to celebrate. Since the island clears out when the kids go on vacation, it was a perfect time to go back."

[carbsliftthespirit]

"Oh, nice!" Raiden exclaimed. "I've never been to Hawai'i," he admitted, "but maybe one day. I hear great things about malasadas." Just Gluttony priorities, you know. "And congrats to your friend! That's so exciting."

[thatwaslucky]

Rey came in a little rushed during training today.

"Hi, Raiden, I need a quick order, if that's okay," she greeted him.

[carbsliftthespirit]

"Sure thing, Rey!" Raiden agreed. "What can I do ya for?"

[thatwaslucky]

"I need some pizzas suitable for woodchucks."

Normal.

[carbsliftthespirit]

Raiden held up one finger to ask Rey to wait as he fished his phone out of his pocket and asked it, "Are woodchucks rodents?"

The phone voice lady informed him that, "The woodchuck is a member of the squirrel family Sciuridae and classified as a rodent."

"Got this," he told Rey, then turned and yelled over his shoulder, "Hey, Tito, get the stuff ready for the reporter specials!" Then he turned back to Rey to ask, "How many do you need?"

[thatwaslucky]

"Three? Four? It's a bribe," she explained.

[carbsliftthespirit]

"That's gonna be four reporter specials, extra large!" Raiden called into the kitchen. Then he explained to Rey, "I've been working on pizza for the squirrels for a while now. All that booze can't be good for 'em. But...well, it's the darn vegan cheese, you know?" Hopefully she did not know. "If the woodchucks like it I'll feel more confident serving it to the squirrels and hoping they don't tell the radio people to say mean things about me."