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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

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?"

No, the narrative was just pointing out that Summer hadn't even wanted a cat, much less one that reminded her of food, but someone had different ideas.

"Bold move," she said, gravely, with a nod toward the cube now on the bar, watching, waiting, biding its plushie time. "But yes. What would you like? Fair warning, the middle one is more creme eggs."

She would not blame Stark for wanting to avoid that one after yesterday's omelets.

Well, that was very fair of the narrative.

"The creme eggs aren't cooked with real eggs, are they?" Stark asked suspiciously. "I like them by themselves."

He would also almost certainly like the alcoholic version.

"I'll try all of them today."

"No real eggs were harmed in the making of these jello shots," Summer assured him.

The same could not be said about other animal products, though. Ahem.

But she did, dutifully, begin to set out a nice row of this week's array for him.

"Good," Stark said. "Where did you even find that recipe?"

It was better not to know these things sometimes, Stark.

"Oh, you used the bunnies!"

He was going to bite the ears off that one first. Sorry, bunny.

You know what? The cube would be right to eat them, with such displays of blatant barbarism like that. Good thing Amaya didn't come in on Wednesdays anymore!

"The Internet," said Summer, with a shrug, and a look at Stark like he should know that by now. "You can find anything on the internet. And I kind of had to use the bunnies. There's so many of them this year that I half suspect they actually procreate like actual rabbits..."

Those bunnies were created to be eaten. And their ears were delicious.

"You don't think they're really multiplying, do you?"

Stark was just going to have to eat the rest of that bunny to stop it from doing so. And then finish off the jello because it looked lonely without its bunny.

"Good use of candy. Much better than omelets."

"Honestly, around here, I'd be more surprised if they weren't," Summer admitted. "It would be one way to explain how I wound up with so many at the store, because I know for a fact I didn't order them.

"And thank you. They do lend themselves well to boozahol."

"Maybe it's like the food in the dorms used to be. It just...appeared, sometimes?"

Or maybe Shunsui fell asleep on an order screen. Or both.

"I like these. Should I save the eggs for the end, do you think? Or maybe the cake for the end? Do you have a favorite?"

"Definitely the cake one," said Summer, probably surprising no one, although it could have been the strawberry lemonade! "It's the most....dynamic, without being over the top like the bunny ones."

"Then I'll save that one for last," Stark said, reaching for the strawberry lemonade instead.

"Are you having a good night, so far?"

Probably nothing had changed since yesterday but maybe he should ask. Just in case.

There was a slight little pang of something that felt like guilt in Summer's chest when Stark decided to save her favorite for last, especially after he'd gotten her a gift (it wasn't anything, though, he'd just been there and it had reminded him of her!), especially thinking about the conversation she'd had with Annie, and how she said she'd talk to Stark about a few things...

"So far," she agreed, with a nod, and a justification to herself that she didn't say when they'd talk. For example, at a bar, while she was working, was very definitionally a terrible time for it, anyway.

"How about you?"

Just a gift for his friend (who had apparently purchased him a whole new outfit he needed to have fitted tomorrow). No vibes involved. Obviously.

"So far," Stark said with a nod of his own. "Nothing to complain about. And the day was quiet."

She was his stylist. It was pretty much her job.

"It was mostly all jello for me," Summer said, with a gesture toward the fruits of her labor. "But that's Wednesdays, really."

"And now you have more," Stark said, nodding at the cube. "None of the jello this week is frightening except for the toy one. Just trying to throw us all off a bit?"

Or maybe just seeing who noticed.

Summer was not surprised that Stark had, and it pleased her maybe a little more than it should, especially considering that of course he would.

"Just keeping everyone on their toes," she said, "and also maintaining some balance. I kind of felt I needed to atone for some of my food crimes last night."

Like, the omelet was getting a lot of crap, but let's not forget about that sandwich.

To be fair, though, she would totally crush a sandwich like that if she were high. It GOT the ASSIGNMENT.

Of course he'd noticed! He always noticed.

"You've committed worse crimes than that omelet," Stark pointed out, grinning at her as he reached for the cranberry shot this time.

"Have I, though?" Summer speculated, squinting her eyes doubtfully at Stark. "Or have you just gotten so used to it by now that it doesn't seem at that bad?"

She genuinely had no idea. Her gauge for this kind of think had been broken a loooooong time ago.

"You have," Stark said, nodding and reaching for his creme egg shot now. "Remember the one that looked like a pineapple? Or the shrimp and cheese jello? Or the Spaghetti-os recipes?"

Summer's list of food crimes was long and varied.

"But all of these, so far, are very good. Thank you." Including the creme egg which was a bit messy, so please forgive him any licking of fingers or lips that might need to happen. It wasn't intentional.

"Oh, man," said Summer, a wistful, nostalgic grin on her face, "that pineapple one is such a fucking classic. I love pulling that one out.

"Speaking of which, though," she said, her smile going a little of a different way as she oh-so-subtly found a napkin to slide across the bar for him, "semester's almost over. What kind of weird horrible food class do you think you want to do over the summer?"

"I think you like the pineapple a bit too much," Stark told her, accepting the napkin. "Just a bit. And...I hadn't thought about the summer, yet. Although... it's soon. Class is nearly over. We should think of something. Unless you'd rather teach by yourself?"

He didn't want to presume. Especially when she might need space.

"I do like teaching with you."

"I like teaching with you, too."

And, like, so much happened in their classes, too! Their students would miss so much education and interaction!

"You know," she said, "I was thinking of doing another twist on the whole food crimes thing and doing, like, a focus on actual food crimes. You know. Crimes involving food, but that would require a bit more work. You mentioning that pineapple makes me wonder if it's time to dig out all those wild mid-century recipes again, though, go back to my roots, so to speak."

Stark grinned at her and took a bite of his cake.

"I'd be happy to have class with you again. Even if there are food crimes again."

Even gross ones. Maybe especially gross ones.

"I mean," said Summer, "obviously, there will be food crimes. That's just a given. The reason question is just simply what kind."

Caritas; Wednesday [04/12].

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