Aprazível | Saturday Evening

[dollpocalypse]

Topher shifted a little in his seat, taking in the restaurant and all the people and especially the other people at his table.

Dinner. Dinner with Billy and Ben and Ender.

Well, this wasn't going to be awkward at all.

"So... do you think they have onion rings?"

[[for the three! okay for broadcast since it's in rio, just in a separate post so we don't break the trips post, la.]]

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[endsthegame]

"Should've brought a Portuguese-to-English phrase book," Ender observed. "I'm not sure what 'onion' is in Portuguese; in Spanish it'd be aros de cebolla."

He'd spent the majority of the day by himself, but the sudden social contact - as much as he'd been the one to propose it - was not entirely welcome.

Not that he'd share that.

[momslilassassin]

Ben grinned, knowing how Ender had started learning Spanish. "Maybe we should see if they sell any action movies with Portuguese dubbing," he teased. "We can learn the language over the summer."

Pause. "Which won't help with the onion ring thing now, of course."

[selfhelphero]

Billy peered up from the menu, where he was quickly being thankful he didn't have any food allergies. "We could see if the waiter knows? Or would it be rude to ask?" Darn his lack of knowledge of foreign customs.

[dollpocalypse]

"How would it be rude?" Topher wondered, working off of his lack of knowledge of... well, any customs.

[endsthegame]

"No seas un bufón," Ender said to Ben, "Sólo puedo tratar con las películas de coches tantos ."

That being said, he looked back towards the boys. "Or we could take a look at the menu once it arrives," he said. "Portuguese and Spanish do like to borrow off one another, and there might even be pictures."

[momslilassassin]

Ben grinned at him. "You love the car movies. And I went to dinner a few nights back with Tony--even if there aren't onion rings, the food here has been astral."

But then Ben came from a galaxy that ate mushrooms that moved, so.

[selfhelphero]

"Yeah, I'll eat pretty much anything, so I'm not too worried, but..." He trailed off and glanced at Topher because hi, he'd met him.

[dollpocalypse]

"Hey!"

A beat.

"No, that's valid."

[endsthegame]

"If you can't find anything on the menu," Ender said, keeping his face straight, thank you, "I'm sure Ben can kill something for you."

[momslilassassin]

Ben kicked him under the table. "I can slay the wild vending machine with the best of them," he said, nodding solemnly.

[selfhelphero]

"Plus, you'd probably get in trouble for killing something," Billy said, adding after a moment, "Oh, wait, you were kidding, weren't you?"

[dollpocalypse]

"He once slayed a washing machine right before my eyes," Topher informed Billy. "It was ugly."

[endsthegame]

"Yes, I was kidding," Ender said lightly, though he poked Ben back with his foot. "I'd prefer it if nothing got killed, if that's all the same."

A waiter finally came over to drop a stack of menus over, and... asked them what they wanted to drink.

In stilted English. But English none the less.

[momslilassassin]

"Water, please," Ben said with a smile.

He'd had enough alcohol for a very long time.

"And that washing machine had it coming."

[selfhelphero]

"Water for me too," Billy said, since that seemed like a safe choice. "Did it mess up your clothes?"

[dollpocalypse]

"Mountain Dew?" Topher said hopefully. The waiter looked confused, and Topher shook his head and just decided, "Water."

A pause.

"And it messed up Ramona's clothes, actually," he added. Topher was so accurate, clearly.

[endsthegame]

"Milk," Ender ordered. He opened up his menu and took a glance at it.

"Washing machines," he added. "Terribly dangerous things."

[momslilassassin]

"Right up there with rancors," Ben agreed, flipping through the menu too. "I wonder what's holy about the lamb."

[selfhelphero]

"I'm more curious about the bananas in everything. I mean, it sounds good," Billy said with a laugh. "But still weird."

[dollpocalypse]

"Bananas are a snack," Topher decided, nodding in agreement. "Not for chicken."

Yes, Topher, be THAT American.

[endsthegame]

"Heathens," Ender said, studying his menu. "You're in a foreign country - a little diversity will do you good."

He was planning to order some of the local stuff. That probably belonged in the list of Wiggin family malfunctions, too.

[momslilassassin]

"I'll eat anything that isn't running off the plate," Ben said, "and depending on the planet, I can make an exception that too."

He glanced at the menu. "I think I won't try the general's leg, just in case that's not a mistranslation."

[selfhelphero]

"I might try the local fish, 'cause that's not something I can get anywhere, right?" And then he wouldn't die, and maybe Topher would learn to be adventurous too.

[dollpocalypse]

"I'll get the lasagna?" Topher tried. "That sounds nice and normal." Though he had to grin a little at the name of the mushrooms, because he was five.

[endsthegame]

"I'll go with the beef," Ender said, and tossed the menu back on the table.

"So, have you two been enjoying Rio?"