fandomtownies | Caritas; Wednesday [08/28].

Summer wasn't really sure when exactly this had happened, but, apparently, according to him, Tino had always been an aggressive Connect Four player, and he was leaning into it that evening hard by posting up a couple of the games and promising that, if anyone managed to beat him, they could have their drinks for free tonight.

She agreed to play one game with him, and she was pretty sure it was the most aggressive round of a game pretty much meant for children she had ever played without anything actually exploding. Tino did, in fact, win, and more easily than she would have liked to have admitted, and she might have gone for a rematch if he wasn't being so obnoxiously braggadocios about how swiftly and smartly he'd beaten her.

She almost warned him to chill, that it was just a game, but she could already tell that that could just end up in a lot of Connect Four boards being upended from the bar, and she did not want to deal with that.

Featured Cocktail
Earl Grey Blackberry Bourbon

Featured Jello
Long Island Iced Tea
Earl Grey Creme Brulee
Arnold Palmer

Caritas is open!

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"Jello shot," Summer confirmed, with a firm nod and a pleased smile, because those were really the right kind of questions she liked hearing coming out of a new face that she was pretty sure she hadn't seen before. "It's practically a Wednesday tradition around here. Obviously, I always like to recommend a full set, but if any particular one is calling your name, I'll hook you up. Also, hi, I'm Summer. Are you new here, or just new to coming into Caritas?"

"I am new to the island," Yelena said, a smirk tugging at her lips, "and also new to these jello shots." She paused, considering her options. "So, I’ll take all of them. And the featured cocktail, too."

She turned to Summer, her expression shifting to a polite smile. "Yelena," she introduced herself simply. "Nice to meet you, Summer."

"An excellent answer," Summer complimented, pulling herself up a little, proud and impressed and a little bit smug, before she carefully started setting out the shots for her, "and an excellent way to start in on immediately winning the bartender over to you, Yelena. I like that. So..."

Shots all set in a row, she began to work on the cocktail.

"You being new means now you're getting the standard questions, which usually starts with me asking what brings you to the island, or even if you were expecting to be here on the island at all..."

Yelena frowned slightly at the question but quickly brushed it off in her usual style.

“Oh, you know, I’m just a former assassin on the run from the mob and a bunch of government agents. My mother sent me to this island to lay low until it all blows over.”

In other words: 100% deadpan humor, her expression giving nothing away. Is she lying? Being snarky? It’s hard to tell. Probably both.

"Oh!" said Summer, setting down the drink. "So you'll be in good company, then."

Did Summer believe it? Was she just going along with the deadpan humor? Being facetious or totally falling for it, head over feet?

It's hard to tell.

Probably both.

Until she realized something.

"You know, that's actually kind of how I ended up here. Minus the former assassin part. And, well, more aliens. Unless they're government aliens?"

This was asked with a tilt of her head and a prodding sort of lilt to her voice, waiting for confirmation or denial.

Aliens? Again? Yelena's eyes narrowed just slightly.

“They weren’t, you know, huge, purple, and completely nuts, were they?”

Can you blame her? She’s got her guard up about certain things.

Honestly, that bid for clarification was a sign of a good head on her shoulders.

"Completely nuts?" she said. "Yes. But huge and purple, no. Kind of scraggly and buggy. Gromflomites! Former head species of the hopefully finally fully defunct Galactic Empire. Here, I have a picture!"

At which point Summer pulled out her phone, had to scroll through.....a lot, and then, finally, turned it toward Yelena to see.

"Yours were huge and purple, though? I bet they exploded with gross stuff, too, didn't they? They always seem to explode with gross stuff."

Edited 2024-08-28 14:18 (UTC)

“I wouldn’t know; I wasn’t around for that part,” Yelena said, glancing at the picture and scrunching up her nose in mild distaste. “But I hope it was messy.”

And painful. Oh, she definitely hoped it was painful.

"So is everyone here on the lam or did some people just come for the endless stairs?"

"A lot of people come here for the school, too," Summer offered. "Or they get stuck here. Or end up here by surprise or some twist of fate. It's a multidimensional nexus, so we really do get literally all types here. And it's easier for some than it is for others. But I figure there's no point in, like, beating around thr bush or anything."

“There’s a school here too?” Yelena asked, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

Just wait, Yelena. The moose and Melina have teamed up to make sure you get out of the house more.

“I kind of figured there’d be something to the multiple realities thing,” she admitted. “For me? It was Christmas Day four months from now. Then I walked into a lounge, and suddenly it was August.”

"Ugh," Summer made a face. "Time disparity stuff. That one's always particularly fun. Never dealt with it personally, thank god, but I know loads of people who have.

"And yeah," she continued helpfully, "that castle looming over the island used to be a high school and is now transitioning to a college. Fandom University. Good ol' FU! Aptly named! I've actually be teaching here for a while now."

The "FU" made Yelena literally snort in amusement.

"You teach and tend bar? Is the cost of living that high on the island?" Yelena asked.

"I also own the general store!" Summer told her brightly. "And freelance bartend and do jello catering! But it's not about the money; the cost of living here is, like, magically nonexistent. It's mostly just to help keep me out of trouble."

Not a hyperbole!

“You see, that’s what i immediately thought when I walked in here. This redhead with the Jell-O shots and the zombies? She is definitely trouble,” Yelena deadpanned. “And on top of that you’re a business owner. Are you the twin mayor too.”

Caritas; Wednesday [08/28].

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