Day 35: Twin Pines Restaurant

(From here!)

Artemis walked into the restaurant and glanced around at the decor. He wasn't impressed, but he wasn't disdainful either. He simply smiled. It was nice... for a town with a population of barely three hundred.

The boy smiled up at the person up front. "Two, if you please."
strayfag: (heartline)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-12 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Badou waved it off. "Yeah, I'm set. I was gonna try the special anyway."

Country Fried Steak. Probably Artemis' three favourite words put together. He wasn't really much for fried food himself, but he doubted if there was anywhere in town to pick up some Italian.

He signaled the waitress, "Deserving or not, there's no point to staying here."
strayfag: (listening)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-13 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
"I'll take the house special." Badou passed both of he menus back to the waitress once she'd gotten their orders down. She still seemed weary, but at least it looked like she was going to bring what they'd asked for without complaint.

He waited until she was out of earshot and picked up the thread of conversation again. "Out of curiosity, what'd you do that was so terrible?"
strayfag: (heartline)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-13 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
That wasn't an altogether unfamiliar story. In fact, it happened all the time. The only difference was that Artemis happened to be a lot younger than most. What was interesting was that Artemis was speaking in the past tense even in that last bit. A changed man, huh?

"Sure. But if this place hadn't kidnapped you the worst you'd get is a comfy seat at the top of some company. Hell is just a way of making people feel better about it."
strayfag: (can't touch this)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-14 03:30 pm (UTC)(link)
He'd never really thought of that. He'd only been here a few days, and he liked Alkaid well enough, but he didn't really have a problem with going back to his own...world. He'd miss the food, maybe.

So what happened if he got stuck here for a few weeks? Haine would probably kick him in the face whenever he got back. Maybe he wouldn't even last that long and just die for nicotene withdrawl.

Man, his attention span was too short for all of this poetic stuff Artemis was going on about. "It's called 'making friends'. That can happen anywhere." He rested his arms on the table, slouching again. His eye drifed down to the scar running through the back of his hand. "Just like leaving people. Being forced to if you want to get out. Whatever. The point is it's not something special about this place.

"You're making a big deal when this isn't even close to hell."
strayfag: (not such a dick)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-15 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
Ok, so that joke was as old and dry as time. Badou still grinned a little.

He leaned back a bit when the food came so his arms weren't taking up half the table. "Didn't think I'd ever hear that from you." Badou commented, cutting into his fried steak. It was actually pretty good given that it was fried steak.

"Lowering your standards for free food?"
strayfag: (yeah I know)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-15 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
"Depends on who's offering the food."

Seeing as how the first piece hadn't poisoned him or anything, he cut off a bigger one this time. Artemis didn't look like he could stand to watch. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't make The Face." He paused, his question sounding a little weary. "Are you ok?"
strayfag: (yeah whatever)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-15 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
Being the nice guy that he was deep down, Badou made an effort to chew with his mouth closed. Most of the time. He wanted to finish his steak without the contents of Artemis' stomach drizzled over it.

"I'm a Private Investigator." Plus occasional intermediary, whipping boy, hitman, and grocery store clerk. "Mostly."
strayfag: (and that's how it happened)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-15 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
Well, he had a point.

"Both." Badou replied, grinning. It was damn uncanny that he managed to bag it in one go. "Preferably not at the same time. Ever again."
strayfag: (GOD I'M SO GLORIOUS)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-15 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
Badou's eyebrows shot up. "Is there anything you haven't done yet? I don't remember the part of the story about the Russian mafia."

If that was the case, his first guess about Artemis might be right too.
strayfag: (I swear by this finger I will END YOU.)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-15 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
Badou could hear Artemis' voice in his head. 'It's no big deal. I was twelve back then.'

He remembered his steak and cut of more of it, reminding himself to eat between snatches of conversation. "It's because you've already taken over a large one, right? When I was thirteen my biggest accomplishment was learning how to knit - and if you laugh I swear I'll choke you with this fork."
strayfag: (sewing!)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-15 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
Badou had to laugh at that one. "Figures." Of course, the mysteries of knitting were the one thing that still baffled Artemis. At least he wasn't being laughed at. Maybe the world wasn't full of assholes, and it was just Haine. And Naoto. And everyone he associated with on a regular basis.

Or maybe Artemis had enough self-preservation instinct to avoid risking death-by-fork.

"I was raised by a delinquent." Badou replied flatly. "I figured I should pick up anything that might be useful. Knitting was slow and boring as hell, but he bet me I couldn't learn how to do it and I was a stupid kid."
strayfag: (can't touch this)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-15 06:38 am (UTC)(link)
"I was just clinging to someone's bootlaces. You don't seem like the type to empathize with that."

He was starting to understand Artemis, or at least that part of him. Being constantly underestimated meant he could and would prove everyone wrong as long as it was within his power. No wonder talking to him in the beginning felt like picking a fight.

His steak finished, he finally took a sip of the water to help it down.
strayfag: (pfft)

[personal profile] strayfag 2008-09-15 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
"Huh. I guess it came in handy after all. That's about the only thing it's ever accomplished for me, minus one really ugly scarf."

Artemis might think it was all of that, but that wasn't the way he saw it at all. He'd learned his lessons a little too late, roughly at knife point, and he was still the kind of person who lived too much in the past. The most he'd accomplished was playing into a prank and not falling for the same one twice.

(no subject)

[personal profile] strayfag - 2008-09-15 20:42 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] strayfag - 2008-09-17 04:45 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] strayfag - 2008-09-17 05:29 (UTC) - Expand