Work Text:
Theme Restaurant
There are many good things about the Creeping Coral Corral. The tinted windows full of designs of coral, to start with. The booths with tall walls, effectively separating diners. The management's firm philosophy that any celebrities had better be treated like normal people, so anyone working there who tried to ask for Marie's autograph would be written up, and there was zero chance of fans following them in.
Sure, there's stupid music of ocean waves, fake kelp and plasticky obviously-fake human-era fish dangling from the ceiling so low she always fights the urge to duck when walking around, and the ridiculous oversized cowfish hats everyone wears—not to mention how only one employee can say 'Howdy' without looking like they hate themselves—but after being followed into a McArrel's, Marie's grateful for the place.
“I will totally have a HerdBurger with a Lasso of Fries and, and, hey I'm between jobs I can splurge, how about a spongeshake?” Callie puts down her menu and grins at their server, somehow bouncing in her seat without moving a muscle. “Do you still have the Promotional Tang flavor?”
“In Blue and Yellow.” Their server shoves his cowfish hat back on his head, but it droops over his eyes once more. “Would you like to seahorse size that?”
“Blue Tang Shake, then, and absolutely. Mar? What are you getting?”
Marie takes a sip of her seltzer. “I'll have a moray spaghetti with a pipe coral salad, hold the tomatoes, and a Yellow Tang shake.”
“No fries?” Callie asks.
“None.”
“Gimme an extra lasso of fries for when Mar steals mine,” Callie says.
Marie glares at her. Callie smiles back.
“Right.” Their server finishes writing that down and tucks his pen back into his little pad. “I'll giddy on up to get that for you, then. Hold your seahorses until I get back, or you may cause a stampede.”
Their server walks away without a second glance, and Marie shakes his head. “I think his soul died a little more with every word.”
“Aw, but it's so fun!” Callie plays with their straw wrappers. “Now to just sit and watch the people!”
“Callie, with these booths, we can barely see any people.” Just how she likes it.
“Yeah, but we can see...” Callie looks around and her eyes widen. She nudges Marie. “Two o'clock. Off The Hook.”
Marie brings her napkin to her lip and dabs, scanning; she has to turn her head a little to see, across the aisle, the third of three booths she can see into. Sure enough, there's the up-and-coming music crew, the Octoling they investigated for three months and the rich inkling who has no idea who she's helping. “Must be celebrating the release of their second single.”
“Or they're on a date.”
Marie looks back at Callie, who's gazing over Marie's shoulder at Off The Hook with a gleam in her eye. Marie rubs her temples. “Callie, not everyone who goes to a restaurant is on a date.”
“Yeah, but they're alone.”
“They have something to celebrate,” Marie points out. “And we're alone, by that logic, and I hope to Cod you don't think we're on a date.”
Callie opens her mouth, but their server slumps to their table before she can say anything. “Here are your shakes,” he says, putting them down, “your food, and the complimentary basket of squid rings for the table. Do either of you want to ride the Wild Seahorse to win a free meal?”
“Oh, abso—”
“—lutely not,” Marie finishes Callie's sentence.
“But—”
“No,” Marie says, glaring at her cousin.
Callie sighs and waves their server off. “I could win, though!”
“We have enough money, and no one ever wins,” Marie says. “I swear it's rigged.”
“I could still do it.”
“It'd draw attention.” Marie sips at her Yellow Tang Shake which... is strawberry kiwi, okay, not what she was expecting but not actually bad.
Callie pouts for approximately two seconds before getting over it. “Anyway,” she says. “They're totes on a date.”
Marie rolls her eyes.
“They're sharing fries, Marie!”
“As we'd be, if you hadn't ordered me an extra.” Marie reaches for one of the calamari rings and bites into it. It crunches perfectly. She pops the rest into her mouth and glances backwards again; the two are leaning close over the table, talking.
Pearl stabs a bite of something and offers it to Marina. Callie squeals. “Okay, food off the plate is totally different from fries!”
Marie turns back around to see Callie helping herself to Marie's salad. “Hey!”
“It's fine, they forgot to remove your tomatoes.”
Marie rolls her eyes and goes back to the first thing. “Looks an awful lot like you eating off my plate, Cal.”
“Oh come on Mar, it's different and you know it.” Callie pops a whole cherry tomato in her mouth. “Huh, Blue Tang flavored. And they're even dressed up!”
“Probably came from an appearance or something, they're new,” Marie says. “Come on, Cal. An Inkling and an Octoling? Not gonna happen.”
Callie picks up her burger in both hands and gives Marie a smug smile. “I'm right,” she says.
Marie shakes her head, twirls her spaghetti, and comes up with her trump card. “Seriously, though, who'd go on a date here?”
Callie sticks her tongue out at her, and Marie takes her victory.