Sign Nexus. Sign Area. I Roam Around Around Around

[misslucysleeches]

There's a newcomer to the Nexus today -- a woman in her very early thirties, with bright red hair and a forest-green sweater, sitting on one of the provided couches and looking at travel brochures. She wandered in earlier, and after the obligatory "?!?/can I get back" moment, has decided that she might as well do as the sign asks and ask a question. She spreads out her brochures on a table in front of her and looks up.

"So, random strangers! I'm a wanderer, and I've wandered almost all of the United States. So I think it's time I broke into international travel. Since it's my first time in this regard, I figured I'd at least start out by going to one of the more well-known cities, and see where adventure leads me from there."

She holds up three brochures.

"The question of the day is, then: London, Paris, or Rome?"

Comments

[random_xtras]

"What flavour?" He's grinning now as he lowers his hands and cups one. "And have you ever had an English style deep fried pizza?"

[misslucysleeches]

"Diet Coke?" She blinks a few times. "I've never even heard of it. Whenever I get it, I tend to order Hawaiian." She's a big fan of pineapple, and really likes it on her pizza.

[random_xtras]

Optimus' grin widens slightly, and then his hand is swirling with the blue and red twinkles. "Diet Coke corrodes fuel tanks. Try... this."

The twinkles die away, and he lowers his hand to display a tray holding a large mug of something dark and fizzy, and a pizza that's been folded in half, dipped in batter, and fried, then accompanied by sliced, deepfried lotus root. If Lucy should take the provided fork and knife and open that pizza she'll find it to contain abnormal but still reasonable amounts of fresh ripe pineapple, and the most delicate and delicious salt cured and unsmoked ham she'll have ever run across.

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy isn't sure pointing out that she doesn't have fuel tanks wouldn't be rude (especially since he's magicking this stuff up for her), so she keeps her mouth shut.

She eyes the tray and its contents curiously. Again, totally unfamiliar with the deep-fried pizza concept. "Thanks," she says, taking the tray and poking at the food with the knife and fork. Oooo, look at all that pineapple. She tries some -- yum yum! "Can I ask what that is?" she asks, pointing to the lotus root. "I'm not sure I've seen it before -- at least, not fried."

[random_xtras]

Optimus nods to the thanks, and then smiles at the slices, which even look pretty with their pattern of holes. "Lotus root. It's my favourite kind of potato, but I can change the fries to the one most common in English speaking cultures in realities like yours if you don't like these."

[misslucysleeches]

"Lotus root?" Lucy echoes. "Well, I'll try anything once. . ." And she does agree that it looks pretty. Like there's a little flower in the root. She picks up a ring and takes a bite. "Hmmm. . .this is actually pretty good," she says with a grin. "They've got an interesting tang to them."

[random_xtras]

"A tang?" says Optimus thoughtfully. "I'd never noticed that." Then he grunts as Sam belts him gently in the midriff with the back of a hand. "Grandpa, you can just go to the Black Dog and eat at a table. You know you can't eat your favourite pizza with one hand."

[misslucysleeches]

"Maybe it's just me and my taste buds," Lucy says with a shrug. More pineapple and ham, then a sip of the not-Diet-Cola. The sweetness is rather different than she was expecting. It still tastes like soda though. . .mostly. . .

[random_xtras]

Optimus notices her reaction to the drink. "It's natural cola, sweetened with stevia leaf. Oh, and none of that will make you fat."

[misslucysleeches]

"You have all the neat stuff, don't you?" she lightly kids him, then arches an eyebrow. "I wasn't even thinking about that until now." She tries to exercise regularly just so she can have stuff like this. Well, sort of like this.

[random_xtras]

"Of course. I work for Swindle co." Optimus grins, and then gets serious. "So many people comment on the fat content that I've started adding the disclaimer automatically."

[misslucysleeches]

"Do you? That a big company 'round these parts?" Chock full of questions, she is.

She nods understandingly. "Yeah, I guess this doesn't exactly scream 'healthy eating,'" she allowed, having some more lotus root. "I've just never worried too much about that sort of thing."

[random_xtras]

"It's not worth worrying about." Sam shrugs. "Humans need fat and sugar. It's just certain kinds that ain't that great."

"Yeah, what Grandpa said," says Optimus. "And Swindle co. Well..."

"Biggest company in the Multiverse." Sam chuckles.

[misslucysleeches]

"Problem is, those certain kinds can sometimes be the tastiest," Lucy says, waving around a bit of ham on her fork. "Or, at least, the kind we're most used to."

She chews the ham as she contemplates that. "I'm guessing it sells just about anything you can think of, then. Bit of an odd name, though. . ." Swindle is not something you usually think about in relation to "good business."

[random_xtras]

"We've got the tastiness covered." Optimus' grin is back. "And actually, we mostly focus on food and fuels. Though a few other thing get sold on the side. And Swindle... well, they used to have the reputation of selling their own motherboard to make a profit, but now they've discovered the better way to make a bigger profit."

[misslucysleeches]

"That you do," Lucy allows. She smirks a little. "Focusing on the essentials -- I approve. And that's good -- I wouldn't want anybody's motherboard anyway."

[random_xtras]

Optimus shrugs slightly, though his eyes are amused. "Focusing on the essentials is the best way to make a profit... and also to make a difference in the Multiverse."

[misslucysleeches]

"Yeah, I suppose so," Lucy nods. "People may not buy stuff just to have stuff, but they'll always need food, or fuel, or something to keep themselves warm. Or cool, I guess, in your cases." She's thinking of things like coolant for engines and stuff like that.

[random_xtras]

"We need both, actually," says Sam. Then he lifts his brows slightly. "You going to be alright now?"

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy nods, smiling. "Yeah, I think so. Thank you for all the information -- oh, and do I owe you anything for this?" she adds, pointing to what's left of her meal. They mentioned Optimus sold food before, and she wants to make sure they're square.

[random_xtras]

"Hmm?" Optimus looks back from where he'd already turned away. "Oh. No, that's a sample."

[misslucysleeches]

"All righty -- I thought it might be, but I just wanted to be sure." She raises her glass of fizzy. "I'll be sure to look out for you and your company for future food purchases, though." AKA, the sample worked.

[random_xtras]

That boyish grin pops into place. "There's a card with numbers under the plate."

Then, with a wink from Sam, the three are gone.

[misslucysleeches]

Lucy can't help a smirk as they vanish. "Was it there before is the question," he comments to herself as she extracts said card and slips it into her pocket.