Luke's Diner, Thursday

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Ugh. That jerky white kid was back at the house again this morning. After the...issue...that had arisen when Alec, Jerkface, and Weird Girl had woken up sharing a bed, Alec had been more than happy to spend all of yesterday avoiding them, even if that had meant participating in the paintball thing. But he hadn't had any of his fake credit cards or IDs on him, so he'd ended up going back to the house last night.

To find Jerkface also there. Ugh. And he thought Weird Girl might have been around, too, but she was fast and kinda creepy, so it wasn't like he'd gone looking.

So Alec was out of the house as soon as he was up (at the crack of noon!), casually swiping one of the expensive laptops that had been lying around. Maybe if he could hack into that (maybe? HA!), he could get himself an ID and a cash stream and away from the house. Before Jerkface could decide to beat him up for, like, existing or whatever.

The sign on the restaurant's window caught his eye:

Today's Specials
Yeah, we know you don't have money. Come in and get a meal and pay us back next week. Unless you're Eliot, Hardison, Miguel, or Kanan Caleb. You gotta work.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Shrimp Fajitas (You're welcome, adults)

Free food? Ish? Alec was going to worry about why he was singled out later. He was going in to peel some potatoes and get a huge helping of spaghetti and meatballs.

[Content Warning for a physical fight in the Eliot/Hardison thread with underlying homophobic tones. Please practice good self-care when deciding whether to read, my dears.]

Comments

[whoisalicewhite]

"Did you try to run away without paying?" Parker asked, suddenly popping up in his field of vision. "I mean, did you at least try?"

Parker was going to try to sneak into the fridge. Again. Jock Boy wasn't there, and it wasn't like Nerd Guy could stop her.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Don't underestimate the abilities of Nerd Boy! Err, that was, Hardiman! Wait no--Alec! Yeah! Don't underestimate the abilities of Alec!

Granted, he still wouldn't stop her. Mostly because he didn't see a point to it.

"Nah," Alec said, peeling carrots for more soup. "I don't mind helpin' out 'round the kitchen. I do it at my Nana's all the time."

Beat.

"Why're you here?" If that came out as an accusation, that was because it was meant to be one.

[whoisalicewhite]

Nerd Boy had a Nana. Jock Boy had a Mama. Well, Parker had an Archie, so there. He was just harder to explain. And he didn't expect Parker to cook or anything. Mostly they ordered take-out.

She pointed solemnly at the freezer in answer to his question, and then picked up a peeled potato to sniff it. Then started nibbling. "Jock Boy isn't around, right?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Ugh, Jerkface," Alec said, wrinkling his nose. "Better not be."

He wasn't sure what he'd do--probably nothing, at least until he got that computer unlocked--but still. Ugh. "You don't wanna eat that. Raw potato's gross. Why do you wanna get into the freezer?"

[whoisalicewhite]

Parker licked the potato, then shrugged and put it down.

"Promise not to try to stop me? I don't wanna have to hurt you." Parker's squirrelly look was pretty much composed of side-eyeing and a weird little smile, and Alec was getting the full benefit of it now.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Yeah, that was a weird smile, and Alec was taking a step back. "Ain't my freezer," was all he said, possibly while gripping the peeler like a weapon. For reasons.

Entirely relating to that grin, even more than the threat.

[uncertain_dume]

So, Caleb had more than enough time between that class he'd... sort of taught... and the terrible life choices he was going to make this afternoon with Rosa Emily, some pink hair dye, and his Padawan braid, and he figured he probably shouldn't expect Hera to prepare every meal for him as long as he was here, so he made his way into one of the restaurants in town. The one that looked fairly approachable, in fact.

And then he stopped and kind of squinted at the specials board. Not just because it was written in High Galactic, but... at least partly because of that.

"Wait, why am I being singled out?"

He wasn't afraid of working to earn his food, but that... that was weird.

[what_the_shock]

"Me too." Miguel had ended up here for much the same reason. "What gives?"

[uncertain_dume]

"I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything to make anybody here angry," Caleb noted, glancing at the other boy. "I mean... I don't mind working for food, but it seems weird to single out a bunch of kids at random."

[what_the_shock]

"I can't have done anything; I just got here!" Miguel protested. "And I'm not working for food if other people don't have to." He scowled and crossed his arms, glowering at the staff. "That's just not fair."

[uncertain_dume]

"Everybody else gets to start a tab," Caleb mumbled, shaking his head. "I'm willing to pay! I just need... some of the local currency..."

They didn't seem to take Republic credits in most shops on the island, not that Caleb had any of those anyway.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Alec looked up from where he was peeling more carrots and sighed. "I dunno, I'm starting to think it might be racist."

The busboy popped up. "Nope!" he said, sounding a little panicky. "Just making sure everyone shows up for their shifts!"

[uncertain_dume]

"... Shifts?"

Caleb squinted a little at the busboy, and then at the other boy that had been singled out, and then just kind of tilted his head.

"I don't work in a diner."

He didn't really have a job.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Do you like pancakes" the busboy asked, while Alec just shook his head.

This whole place was weird.

[uncertain_dume]

"... If they're anything like flatcakes, sure?"

Caleb had no idea why, but he had the weird feeling as though he was being mocked.

[vdistinctive]

"Man, why you gotta call me out like that?" Eliot said as he walked into the diner. (What? That burger yesterday was good!) "You know I'm good for --"

He stopped dead when he saw the black kid from the house was there (jesus, did this guy have to be everywhere?) and pondered running. Just -- bolting right back out through the door. Kind of feeling chivalrous towards dudes at a paintball game wasn't a big deal, they were his team. This guy. . . .

He hated this guy's stupid face.

"The hell are you doing here?"

[geniuswithasmartphone]

It was entirely mutual.

"Not being an asshole," Alec shot back. "I see you still ain't figured that out."

[vdistinctive]

"You sure about that?" Eliot asked. "'Cause you sure like look a dick to me."

Interesting word choice there, Eliot.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"You should be so lucky." Alec, please don't get yourself killed.

[vdistinctive]

"Excuse me?"

Eliot. Don't beat up the kid with glasses. That'd be tacky.

In the freezer

[vdistinctive]

The cook and the dishwasher shoved Eliot unceremoniously into the freezer with an order to "cool off, idiot".

The cold air was certainly a shock, but no, Eliot didn't feel any cooler headed. He attacked the shelves, grabbing ice cream and packages of frozen meat and hurling them at the wall. He kicked the closed freezer door and yelled, then pounded on it until his hands were scraped and bloody, and he finally let himself slide to the floor.

Jesus. He didn't even know why he was so mad. That guy wasn't the first snot-nosed asshole to imply . . . things . . . about Eliot.

He hadn't met any of them while naked in bed, though.

He reached for his neck, only to remember at the last moment that waking up naked meant he didn't have any of his own clothes or jewelry right now. Instead he pulled at his hair, resting his forehead on his knees.

Willie was going to be so pissed at him for this.

Re: In the freezer

[whoisalicewhite]

"What are you doing?" said a voice from behind him, sounding bewildered and a little scared.

Re: In the freezer

[vdistinctive]

Oh great, cool, the weird girl was here to witness his humiliation. Why not, she was there yesterday morning, too.

"Testing the security," he said, shooting her a glare. "What do you think I'm doing?"

Re: In the freezer

[whoisalicewhite]

"Doing what you said I shouldn't do," Parker retorted, voice sharp. She had a snowball in one hand, but an icicle in the other, looking ready to use either.

Re: In the freezer

[vdistinctive]

"What." It took Eliot a moment to parse that. "Oh. The bear. Great. Maybe we can get it to eat me instead."