Third Floor Common Room, Saturday Morning

[dollpocalypse]

Now, Topher could tell that there was some kind of activity going on outside. It looked like a fair or a carnival, but either way it didn't really hold much appeal to him, and besides that he didn't think his parents were around to buy him a ticket. So he wasn't going to bother with it.

Instead he went to the kitchen, and with his trusty goggles on, he climbed onto a chair and began assembling a sandwich. What he really wanted was pancakes, but he had no idea how to make those. A sandwich, though, he could do, even if the cheese-to-turkey ratio was turning out awfully high and about sixty percent of the lettuce (because all sandwiches had to have lettuce even if it was gross, right?) was ending up on the floor. He figured there was probably a housekeeper here like at home who could take care of that.

Once he was done, he got a chocolate milk carton out of the fridge and settled at the table to eat his breakfast. Maybe he'd be the only one here. He'd like that.

Comments

[dollpocalypse]

"I don't know what that is," Topher said slowly. He thrust out a package of American cheese slices at Jaq. "We have this."

[suitably_heroic]

Jaq shot Topher a mildly confused (or possibly concerned) look, but he figured not pointing this out to the boy would probably keep things from getting mean.

"Right," he said, fishing a slice out. "What kind is it?"

[dollpocalypse]

Topher noticed the look, and ducked his head down like he'd done something wrong. "Uh, American," he answered. "'s the best kind for sandwiches."

[suitably_heroic]

Jaq looked even more dubious, but he put one on a slice anyway. "Where's America?"

[dollpocalypse]

SORRY THEY DIDN'T HAVE CHOCOLATE CHIP SANDWICHES HERE, JAQ.

"Right here?" Topher said, then corrected himself. "I think. I'm from there. I'm not sure what this place is."

He took a thoughtful bite of his sandwich, then asked, "Do you know where we are?"

[suitably_heroic]

"An island," Jaq said. "I looked out the window. I didn't know what planet it was until now."

He shut his sandwich and took a big bite.

It tasted funny.

[dollpocalypse]

"Oh." Different planets were an option, then. "Um, my planet's called Earth. I've never been to any other ones. That I know of."

[suitably_heroic]

"I've been to one or two," Jaq shared, "But not anymore. It's not safe."

[dollpocalypse]

"Meteors?" Topher guessed, wide-eyed.

[suitably_heroic]

"No, Mandalorians," Jaq said, taking another (dubious) bite of his sandwich.

[dollpocalypse]

Huh. "What's that?" Topher asked. "Is it like a comet?"

Then, noticing Jaq's face, he slid a bottle of mayonnaise across the table to him. "It helps the sandwich."

[suitably_heroic]

Considering it was Topher who had led Jaq to the cheese to begin with, he was going to taste it first before putting it on anywhere.

With his finger. It seemed easiest.

"No, they're an army," he said. "Mom's scared they'll come for us, so we don't go so very far."

[dollpocalypse]

Well, Topher hadn't known Jaq was going to make a sandwich without mayo like a weirdo! Who did that?

Well, aliens, apparently.

"Sorry," Topher offered, and he actually sounded sincere. "There's a war on my planet too but we're not really in danger in California. I never thought of it as something that can affect kids."

[suitably_heroic]

Jaq shrugged. "It's just mom and dad who're a little scared," he said, with a nonchalance he didn't really feel about it.

It made things a little tense at home.

The mayo tasted okay, so he got a knife and put it all over his half-eaten sandwich.

[dollpocalypse]

"How come?"

Look, if the opportunity presented itself to learn about space, Topher was going to take it.

[suitably_heroic]

"'Cause they're getting closer, stupid," Jaq said, then took another bite of his sandwich.

It still tasted weird. But better.

[dollpocalypse]

Well, maybe Jaq was just weird. So nyah.

"I mean how come they want anything to do with you?" Topher clarified. "What's the point of them?"

[suitably_heroic]

Jaq shrugged again. "They want to take over planets, I guess."

[dollpocalypse]

"Oh." Topher thought about that for a minute, then evaluated, "It's a dumb plan."

[suitably_heroic]

"Maybe they'll just realize that and just go home," Jaq hypothesized, "and Mom can stop looking nervous."

[dollpocalypse]

"I hope so," Topher said, because when he was tiny he actually gave a crap about people, look at that. "Bullies usually don't, though."

[suitably_heroic]

"I don't know if they're bullies," Jaq admitted. "I haven't met a Mandalorian yet."

And he never would, if his parents had anything to say about it.

[dollpocalypse]

"Well, that's a good start," Topher said encouragingly. "Army people don't sound like a lot of fun."

Sorry, Ender.