fandomtownies | Caritas; Wednesday [04/12].

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Caritas; Wednesday [04/12].

Even when she wasn't working at the store on any particular day, Summer had gotten in the habit of at least checking what weird holidays were set for any given day, just because if it got really weird, and something went wrong, she was going to be the one having to deal with it. So when she walked into the bar and found Tino leaning against it over a book, reading glasses perched on his nose and everything, she just assumed it had something to do with D.E.A.R. and groaned.

"Not you, too," she said, coming around to behind the bar to drop off all her jello shots and get set up for the evening. "It's bad enough I have to deal with Apu doing this every week, and now I've got--"

It was then that Summer realized that the book Tino was ready was actually just a blank-paged journal, and she frowned as he flipped a page and seemed very invested in what he was 'reading', and she blinked, considered the glasses, realized he was wearing one of those cardigans with the patches on the elbows, and felt a flash of realization for what was going on here.

"Oh.My.God, Tino," she said, "are you trying to pretend to be an intellectual? Who are you trying to impress? Seriously, though, just a blank book? Couldn't even pull out ~~meta for~~ War and Peace or anything? Ohmygod, that's so sad."

Of course, he ignored her, continuing to 'read', nodding along thoughtfully to the excellent points this imaginary book was making, and she just shook her head and got back to prepping for work.

Although now it was going to bother her. Who was he trying to impress?

Were they better off just not knowing? Ever?

Wednesday Jello Shot Specials!

First One Free with a Karaoke Song!

Strawberry Basil Lemonade
Ohmygod Why Do I Still Have So Much Leftover Easter Candy??
Seriously, It's a Problem
Cranberry Whiskey*
Strawberry Cake

Caritas is open!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It was Wednesday so of course Stark was there. Holding a pink gift bag and wondering if he was going to be told about any other surprise appointments he had to attend before Friday's prom. Did he need to be freshly shaved? Did he need accessories?

"Hello, Summer," he said, placing the bag on the bartop as he sat down on his stool.

"Hello, Stark," Summer said, not to Stark himself, apparently, but to the bag, because, well, it was a little hard to not notice someone coming in with a pink gift bag and setting it on the bartop. She did play around with the idea of pretending she hadn't, though, but she knew her curiosity was definitely going to get the better of her with this one.

"What's that?" she asked. "Birthday present for Goose?"

What with Stark and Goose being such good friends and whatnot.

"I didn't know it was Goose's birthday," Stark said. "I could give it to him but I'm not sure he'd appreciate it. I didn't get it for him."

He slid the bag a little closer to her.

"You might like it," he said. At least he hoped she might like the plushie gelatinous cube he'd purchased from Steph last week.

"I miiiiiiiight," Summer agreed, in a tone that was dancing very closely on the edges of oh, for meeee? I wouldn't have thouuuuught! and the clear delight that would always come with unexpected gifts. But, having spent Easter with her family and with Dr. Wong's voice still occasionally managing to drift through her brain, she at least had a small flash of hesitation, a little blip of a reminder that gifts were very rarely given in a vacuum, so she stopped before diving into the bag to see what was inside.

"What's the occasion?"

"It made me think of you," Stark said. "That's all. I thought you...you might be amused."

Or maybe Pancakes would like it if nothing else.

"It's just something small. No reason."

Summer took a moment to gauge the level (or lack thereof) of protest or insistence in this explanation, and clearly deemed it acceptable because she grinned and pulled the bag just that little bit closer. "Well," she said, "thank you, then, Stark. I'm sure--"

It was then that she'd managed to open the bag and pulled out the cube with a laugh.

"Ohmygod," she said, turning it over to give it a closer look before looking over at Stark with brows lifted. "This is one of the gelatinous cubes you and Steph were talking about the other day, right? You actually got one?"

"It's like a jello cube that eats people," Stark said, nodding. "And it was cute. So...I got one."

He was watching her reaction carefully. He didn't give gifts often. He didn't want to do it wrong.

"And then you gave it to me," said Summer. Not so much in the tone of someone who was incredibly flattered to have been thought of (although, of course she was), but in that much more malicious way of acknowledging that there'd even been a conversation about how hers were the hands in which knowledge of such things would be the most dangerous. The kind of tone that seemed on the verge of an evil cackle, as she squished the cube a little in her hands and then hugged it close because it was squishy and soft.

"It is cute," she agreed, now holding it out for another look, especially at the adorable little face on it, and then she grinned over at Stark. "Here's to hoping it doesn't suddenly become sentient while I'm sleeping and decide to seek revenge for all the jello-eating people I've created over the years."

Wouldn't you just feel terrible then, Stark? Huh?

"It's small enough I don't think you'll be in danger," Stark said. "And Pancakes would protect you."

It was possible he'd considered this line of thinking already.

Of course, anyone who might be sleeping nearby would also help her out. Not that anyone would be. But if they were.

"I also don't think it will really try to eat you. It seems too cute for that. And it's already full." Just look at those plushie bones!

"It's the cute ones you always have to watch out for," Summer pointed out, making sure to look particularly cute herself as she did. "And eventually those bones'll disintegrate,"--it had been pretty quaint, really, how Stark and Steph apparently were under the impression that Summer, with her grampa and her exboyfriend, wouldn't already know about gelatinous cubes--"and it'll need to feed again...

"It would probably go for Pancakes first, though," she allowed.

Everything tried to eat Pancakes. Summer included, at times.

Maybe if Pancakes hadn't been named after delicious breakfast food she'd be on the menu less often?

"Hopefully it won't try and eat anyone," Stark said. "I'd feel so guilty." He'd never recover from the guilt, honestly.

Well, maybe if Pancakes hadn't been walking around the color of a perfectly cooked pancake like that, she wouldn't have been named after a delicious breakfast food with a lot of sentimental value to Summer, dammit!

"I'll try to keep a close eye on it," Summer assured him, with a nod, giving it another squeeze before setting it on the bar, for right now, because it was too cute to put away just yet. "And, if it does eat anyone, we could just blame Steph for selling sometimes-sentient plush gelatinous cubes in the first place. And then we can blame the manufacturer and maybe sue, and then we'll get a nice payout from the class-action lawsuit settlement. Everyone wins."

A pause.

"Except whoever does get eaten."

Hey, actually, it was a good size for eating squirrels, now that you mention it...

The narrative wasn't blaming Pancakes for what she was wearing, was it?

"I'm glad you like it," Stark said with a soft smile. "Even if it might try to eat someone. Eventually. And we'll hope it doesn't. For now maybe I should have my own jello?"

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