One squishy and eight robots walk into a cafe...

[http://users.livejournal.com/fire_child_/]

Megan looks around the room as they enter, her adoptive 'brothers' - in this case the full eight-member set of Alpha Squadron - not far away. It was late afternoon at home, since they didn't want her staying up too late or to be late for school when it started up again. But they had little idea what time it would be here.

But Time and Oil were spending the night, which made it a perfect opportunity for a little 'welcome to the family' evening out with their new little sister.

Comments

[random_xtras]

It looks like late afternoon, and the cantina is appropriately full of patrons, but a grizzled old character who's sitting in a big circular corner booth waves them over when he catches sight of them.

[runwithscissorz]

They're not sure what to make of this, since the guy's a total stranger to them... but Blues said this place was safe. So the group heads over that way, keeping Megan somewhere in the middle.

[random_xtras]

"Name's Logan." He nods and moves the toothpick he's chewing to the other side of his mouth. "Need someplace ta sit?"

[lil_bomb_boy]

Bomb's keeping a close watch on Guts, since the largest Alpha is sometimes a bit uneasy around crowds. They hadn't really expected so many people! But then Blues had come here during early morning hours. There's a sheepish grin from the little bot. "Heh, I guess we do..."

[random_xtras]

"Slide in," he says amiably. "I needta keep this end open fer my wife."

There's plenty of room for the boys... and they and Megan might catch hints of some sort of happy mental tune that doesn't seem to be focused on them so much as just being broadcast freely and softly to anyone in range.

[random_xtras]

"Yup. What kinda crust 'n toppin's?"

[http://users.livejournal.com/fire_child_/]

At this, Megan looks around at her 'brothers'.

"Stuffed crust is good," comments Fire. "And peppers."

"Extra cheese," chirps Ice.

"Sausage," adds Oil. "And pepperoni."

"Mushrooms?" suggests Time.

"Green olives," adds Elec.

"And some diced onion," is Cut's addition.

"And ham," says Bomb.

Only Guts seems to lack something to add. He's still listening to the little singing rock.

[random_xtras]

Logan chuckles and heads for the kitchen.

"Now yer in fer it," comments her twin, sipping his coffee.

[time_for_time]

This gets him a large assortment of puzzled looks.

"Why?" asks Time.

"Did we do something wrong?" adds Oil.

[random_xtras]

Another furry waitress, this one brown and catlike, pauses to set down a little pot of a spread that is neither butter or margarine, but which smells very good.

Wolvie picks up a knife and helps himself to a blob without bothering with a bun. "Mmmm."

[arctic_kawaii]

"What is it?" Ice asks, giving the not-butter a cutely curious look.

---

Oil doesn't seem to care what it is, as he puts some of it on another bun.

---

Megan looks curious too, but since Ice already asked, she stays silent and waits for the answer. She knows it's not quite butter - she's churned butter before.

[random_xtras]

"Notbutter." Logan grins. "'Cultured edible oil spread's the fancy name."

[http://users.livejournal.com/fire_child_/]

"It's made out of oil?" Megan asks, puzzled by this. "Isn't there any cream? That's what we always made butter out of."

[random_xtras]

"Look around," says Logan. "A lotta folk here've got flyin' lizards sleepin' somewhere in their clothes 're fur. 'N that furry thing over there's a desert dog, not a person."

The dog in question looks like a Pharaoh hound the size of a Shetland pony.

[arctic_kawaii]

Well, in that case, there was no reason not to let Frosty stay. The others relax and it's not long before Oil reaches for a slice of pizza. The others soon claim their own slices. Ice carefully picks off a piece of what looks like pepperoni from his own piece to offer to Frostflower. The fire lizard holds it in both foreclaws and gives it a nibble, getting sauce on his snout.

[random_xtras]

Logan takes a crumb of cheese and reaches over to give it to his pet rock, then looks at Elec as he accepts a roast dino sandwich from one of the furry waitresses. "Yer the guy 'at was talkin' t' my sister about school?"

[feathers_in_wax]

Guts gives the cheese a puzzled look and holds out the singing rock. "Singing rocks eat cheese?" he asks, putting it carefully down on the table so it can eat - and so he can grab a piece of pizza.

---

Elec nods, mouth full at the moment. Once he swallows that bite he says, "Yeah. The rest of us playing hooky our whole lives is one thing. We're robots, so we can download anything we'd really need to know. But Megan's human."

[random_xtras]

"Part'a raisin' a youngun." Logan nods and pauses to examine his sandwich, then looks at the pizza. "How is it?"

[runwithscissorz]

"Which is something we never thought we'd be doing," Cut says.

---

"It's very good," Bomb replies about the pizza. There are a few nods from the others.

[random_xtras]

"There's books on it." Logan chuckles, meaning child rearing. But then he sobers. "Well, y' look like yer startin' out on the right foot, anyhow."

[feathers_in_wax]

"Books can tell you a lot," Elec admits, "but they can't tell you everything."

[random_xtras]

Logan nods somberly. "There's still a few here in New Haven. Different races. Y'might wind up in class with one."

[http://users.livejournal.com/fire_child_/]

Megan just nods in response as she take another bite of pizza. She wouldn't mind that at all.

[random_xtras]

Logan's happy to lapse into silence and let the kids eat, but he's still up for talking as well.

[http://users.livejournal.com/fire_child_/]

They're going to focus on eating for now, because pizza is really best when the cheese is still warm and will pull into strings when you bite it.