The Perk, Sunday afternoon

[brainfreediet]

Flash had just arrived in town a little bit ago and he already seemed a little annoyed about something. "Kiernan warns me about weird stuff, but not about stairs. That's helpful," he muttered as he rolled up to the counter to order a coffee

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[1stinkinpercent]

Well, Riley wasn't any kind of magician but he was feeling the need for some serious caffeine after getting back from Horizon. If he hadn't been a wuss, he might have gone for the harder stuff but...

He was a wuss, yeah. So, he made sure to order the biggest coffee that was possible and then started dumping as much sugar as he could into it. That'd be a good shock to the system, right?

The unfamiliar guy got a nod of greeting but only after Riley had his coffee prepared how it needed to be prepared. Priorities and all.

[brainfreediet]

"I was supposed to turn left at Albuquerque and that just threw me off entirely," Flash joked. "No, I was looking for a change of pace from the big city and a friend told me she heard this town was nice." And that was more or less accurate.

[1stinkinpercent]

"Better story than mine," Riley said, making a face. "I thought I was teaching at an Ivy League school. This school isn't Ivy League."

But he'd grown to like it.

"But a change of pace from the big city? Yeah, that's this place to a tee. I don't think it's at a 'everyone knows your name' level but it's close."

[brainfreediet]

"I hope you're overstating that a little. I mean, there's 'change of pace' and then there's 'creepy small town where a horror movie takes place.'"

[1stinkinpercent]

Riley...decided not to tell him about the zombies in the bar just yet. No need to really lay on the horror movie vibe.

"It's not like that or anything," he assured, shaking his head. "It's just a small town so it's hard not to learn people's names, recognize faces. Just a thing that happens."

[brainfreediet]

"Does that mean news travels fast, too? So by tomorrow everyone will know there's a new guy in town?" Flash checked.

[1stinkinpercent]

"I think the squirrels will take care of that, yeah," Riley said, nodding. "So, if you're hoping to stay low key, well, it's not gonna happen."

[brainfreediet]

"I think you just glossed over the word 'squirrels,'" Flash pointed out.

[1stinkinpercent]

"Did I?" Yes, yes he had. "Oh, uh, they're kind of the island's reporters. They run news to the local radio station. I wish I was kidding but I'm not. I've had recent drug tests to prove that I'm not on anything."

[brainfreediet]

"And these are people who have a goofy nickname, right?" Flash checked.

[1stinkinpercent]

"No, these are actual squirrels," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "The kind that live in trees and eat acorns or Doritos if they can. I don't know how they do it but they do."

[brainfreediet]

"I'm not alone here, right? That's nuts," Flash checked.

[1stinkinpercent]

"Oh no, it's insane but it's the truth," Riley said, shrugging. "They're pretty good at their job too. There's not a lot they miss although anytime two people go out together, they think it's a date."

[brainfreediet]

"If that's the case, this is the weirdest first date I've ever been on," Flash mused.

[1stinkinpercent]

"I'll make it up to you next time," Riley joked.