[milliways: kidplot]

[hate_gettin_older]

What the hell is this place?

Edgar's only sure of three things: (1) it isn't the Tail, therefore (2) he's not supposed to be here, and (3) he's going to be in the worst kind of trouble if a guard sees him. Or anyone who'll call a guard.

The thing is, he's not sure how this could be the Front either. But he's not sure how it could be anyplace else.

For the moment, he's got to try and get out of sight. Maybe under one of those tables.

Comments

[dejah_thoris]

"I like these, though."

She's plucked out a juicy bit of tomato and is happily nomming on it. It seems a strange thing to disassemble one's food after someone so carefully put it together, but she's content to follow their lead.

"So you two aren't from Helium, I take it?"

[hate_gettin_older]

"Nah." He shakes his head without looking up, more interested in trying a taste of the pulpy red vegetable than in the question.

[2goodarms]

Curtis shakes his head, too.

"'M from Boston. Where's Helium?"

Probably somewhere in Europe. Or even further. Maybe Australia.

[dejah_thoris]

"It's on Barsoom."

She blinks, and something, thought she's not sure what, makes her add, "What you call Mars."

Mars. Earth. Barsoom & Jasoom. Two worlds separated by millions of cariads of empty space. How does she even know that?

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar stops chewing, and looks at her cockeyed.

With his best sarcastic politeness, he says "Oh is that it. Well. Definitely not from America, then."

[2goodarms]

Curtis, meanwhile, is staring at Dejah with his mouth hanging open.

Oh no. She's pretty, but she's crazy. What has he gotten himself into? Is it too late to run away?!

(He might still pull her hair on the way out from under the table, though.)

"No you're not," he finally says, with all the scorn he can muster.

[dejah_thoris]

"I'm not what?" She glances up from her dissected burger, confused. Why is he so angry at her? What is wrong with everyone here today?

"Not from Barsoom? Of course I am, silly. Why wouldn't I be?"

[hate_gettin_older]

"Well, you'd be an alien for starters, wouldn't you."

Edgar does not appreciate being expected to believe some ridiculous lie.

(Especially not from some Front girl with her perfect little dress and her shiny hair and her la-di-dah airs, like some miniature Mason.)

[2goodarms]

"Yeah," Curtis chimes in. He grabs a handful of candy from the bowl. "Like Area 51."

One of his friends brought a big book about aliens to school once. It was pretty cool. Curtis didn't believe any of it, not like Ralph, and they got into a fight at recess over it (Ralph: one black eye; Curtis: one bloody nose), but it was still pretty cool.

[dejah_thoris]

She knows what the word means but the context throws her off. She frowns at both of them.

"I'm not from Area 51. I'm from Helium. I was hatched in the palace birthing pools just five ords ago."

"But then, you're both in a place where a magic bar gives you food out of thin air, so why would you believe you've met someone from another planet? Psh."

[hate_gettin_older]

"Another planet and a palace?" Edgar's eyebrows are about ready to climb off the top of his forehead. "So you're not just an alien then, you're an alien princess. From Mars."

[dejah_thoris]

"So what if I am a princess? And it's Barsoom."

She just manages to bite back 'Earthling', but that would be mean. And while she's allowed to be opinionated, she's not allowed to be mean.

"Why? Where are you from?"

[2goodarms]

Now that Dejah's pointed it out, it does seem kinda ridiculous that Curtis is getting so hung up on her being an alien, but --

"We're from Earth! Like everybody!"

For some reason, this just crosses the line of his weird threshold. Especially when she's talking about stuff like hatching. And what the heck's an ord?

[hate_gettin_older]

For some reason he can't grasp, watching the two Front kids scowl at each other makes him feel both meanly satisfied and increasingly uneasy. The unease is winning, compounded as it is by not having any clear idea where it's coming from.

"Ahh, never mind it," he says with an elaborate shrug, and reaches to pick up one of the little golden-yellow things they called fries. "No reason you can't be an alien princess if you want. They have these on Barsoom?"

[dejah_thoris]

"No, no they don't. I don't even know what they're called. Curtis?"

Edgar says it's okay for her to be a princess, Curtis. So you'll just have to deal with it. Hmmph.

[2goodarms]

Curtis makes a face at Edgar's comment. For a couple seconds, he resists the tempation, and then his resolve fails: he sticks his tongue out at Dejah.

He'll deal with it, but he doesn't gotta be happy about it. SO THERE.

"They're fries. French fries. They're made out of potatoes."

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar brightens a little at that. "I had a potato once. Couple years ago I think."

He takes a bite of one of the fries, and can't suppress a groan of enjoyment. These are so good.

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah has better manners than Curtis. She waits until Edgar's focused on the fries and then she sticks her tongue out at Curtis. (No, she doesn't want to kiss him! EW, brain, why would you even think that!?)

"What's a potato? Is that a plant?" Her voice is perfectly level and serene and she's not at all watching Curtis from the corner of her eye.

[2goodarms]

"Yeah, they're these big lumpy brown things that grow underground. You can make potato chips with 'em too."

A beat.

"Why? Don't they have them on Barsoom?"

[hate_gettin_older]

He makes a sound that's half giggle and half snort, and scoops up some more fries.

Maybe he could take some of these back to the Tail with him? If he ever figures out how to get back.

[dejah_thoris]

"No, no they don't. They don't have burgers either. Or whatever those are."

She points to the bowl of candy that no one's offered her a piece of yet.

And maybe lightly kicks Curtis with the very tip of her toe.

[2goodarms]

Curtis lets his head fall back and stares up at the underside of the table, as if to say, I'm surrounded by idiots.

But he has to be nice. They've never had candy. One of them's even homeless. At least he can fix that!

"It's candy and chocolate." He scoops up a few. "Here, this one's a Milky Way an' these are Skittles."

He lobs them at her. (Gently.)

[hate_gettin_older]

"Can I have one of the chocolate ones?"

His stomach is starting to protest vaguely, but he ignores it. He's never had this much food at one time in his life.

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah doesn't get a hand up in time and gets whapped in the face with the candy.

"Hey! Careful. Here, Edgar, you can have mine."

She hands him the Milky Way bar and keeps the Skittles for herself.

And then sticks her tongue out at Curtis again.

[2goodarms]

This time, Curtis just grins at her, all innocence and light. He goes back to digging through the bowl, pulling out some candy for himself. Snickers, Three Musketeers, Mike & Ike --

Oh, hey. Look at that.

"And you can have this one," he says, cheerfully, as he hands Dejah a tiny wrapped chocolate labeled MARS BAR.