Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Posted on Mon Jun 20th, 2011 @ 3:22pm by Commander Krang Darkmoon & Paul "Paulie" Hampton-Indio

622 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: A Fresh Start

::ON::

Krang walked in and collapsed heavily into a chair at an empty table near the back. He waited for a server to appear hoping that he wouldn't catch too much hell when all he wanted was to eat dinner and get really drunk.

Paul approached the man with great hesitation. "Can I umm.... Help you Commander?"

"I've heard talk that you make the best gumbo on the station. I could really go for a fresh cooked meal right about now." Krang answered.

"Absolutely Commander..." Paulie quickly scurried into the kitchen.

Paul's disappearance gave Yale the opportunity to escape from behind the counter. He walked over to the Commander and tugged on the man's uniform. "You big."

"And you're small." Krang replied, amazed at the boy's grasp of the painfully obvious.

Yale scowled at the Commander. "It cause I TWO!" The child protested holding up two fingers. "I be big someday."

"I'm sure. You seem quite smart for someone your age." Krang lied. He hated children. They were loud, often dirty and frequently smell funny. "Do you work here?"

The toddler looked up at the man confused. "I two..."

Krang looked around the room, anxious for the other man to return. When he didn't see anyone else, he took the container of carrots out of his pocket and offered the boy a carrot. "Want one?"

Yale nodded, looking up trying to figure out exactly what he was getting himself into.

About the same time, Paul came flying out of the kitchen. "It'll be two more minutes on that gumbo Commander. I make everything fresh."

Krang nodded, "Sounds good."

Paulie looked around for a moment. "Yale?" He quizzed.

Krang pointed to the floor at his feet.

Quickly, Paulie scurried around the corner and tried to scoop up Yale.

"I don't wanna!" Yale screamed.

"I'm very sorry he was bothering you Commander." Paulie hauled Yale around the bar with him.

Krang lied politely, "He wasn't bothering me." then he added, "He seems very well spoken for his age."

Paulie sat Yale back on his play-mat behind the counter. "Stay put kiddo. You're gonna get Daddy thrown in the brig!" With that, Paulie scooted back into the kitchen and retrieved the now ready bowl of gumbo. Bringing back the gumbo, a steaming hot piece of corn bread, Tabasco sauce, and glass of iced tea, Paulie sat the meal before the Commander.

"Thank you. It smells delicious." Krang said, ignoring the obvious dig.

He took a large spoonful and nodded. "It tastes really good too."

Paulie smiled and leaned against the counter. "Thanks Commander. We try." He picked up a glass and began to clean it. "Do you have any idea how long the Captain intends on keeping a lockdown?"

"Probably just long enough to make sure that everyone on the station hates the site of me. I sort of pissed him off and he's trying to prove a point." Krang replied.

"Typical of new CO's." Paulie nodded. "They do like things their way..."

"That's putting it mildly." Krang groused. He took another bite of his gumbo.

Paulie, continuing to lean against the counter, struggled to wrap his mind around the concept of this lockdown and wondered if it would be the end of his career.

Krang took a long drink of his tea and smacked his lips. "That's sweet. Don't find tea like that around here too often."

"It's a style I became very comfortable with, living on Earth. It's nice for these guys to have an opportunity to have a taste of home..." Paulie grinned. "But thank you Commander."

Krang went back to eating and Paulie wandered off to wait on other customers.

::OFF::

Commander Krang Darkmoon
Chief of Security

Paul Hampton-Indio
Restaurant Owner

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