Arnold--Hey Arnold!--Barplace

[mm_mono]

The football head that walks into the bar today isn't the one we all know and love.

Well, he is the one we all know and love, he's just lost a few years

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[kitchen_zen]

Know who else couldn't resist?

A Hey Arnold! fan who happens to work at a preschool.

She's not really tall for an adult, or at least there are adults who are much taller than her, and she's rather stout. ("Just like the teapot," she tells her own children.)

She has two of them in tow, actually. A pair of two-year-old twins, one with brown hair and eyes, the other the spittin' image of a baby Ron Weasley.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" she says to the first one, holding the other's hand. "You can't just run away from the line like that!"

Then she notices Arnold, before noticing where they are.

"Hiya! Are you a new student?"

[kitchen_zen]

Miss Auralie doesn't mind. Umbrellas are waterproof, after all.

She and Jordan scrub their hands and then she leads them out of the bathroom to the bar.

"Cereal and fruit for four," she says. "Hey, do you guys want yours in a cereal bowl with the milk on top? I do."

Jordan and Billy don't say anything, so she's going with napkin for them.

[mm_mono]

"Ceweal, that's my favorite!" Arnold cheers, which is his way of requesting the milk.

[kitchen_zen]

"Two on napkins and two in bowls, three with strawberries and one with bananas."

[mm_mono]

Arnold laughs delightedly when his bowl appears in front of him. "Magic trick!"

And he'll start eating very carefully, because making messes is bad with food.

[kitchen_zen]

Jordan and Billy are pretty good at eating carefully, even if it is with their hands. They've even got drinking from a cup down.

Miss Auralie joins them at a small table set up for them and eats her cereal with bananas.

"Nana, nana," Jordan say.

"Nana," Billy echoes once.

"Yep, I'm eating bananas with mine. What are you eating?"

"Nana," they both say.

"Not quite. Try again."

They look at their napkins for a pause. Miss Auralie picks up one of Billy's strawberries.

"Star babies! I like star babies," he says.

[mm_mono]

"Stawbearies," is Arnold's response to all the fuss. "And milk is in mine."

[kitchen_zen]

"You're all so clever," Miss Auralie says, beaming.

[mm_mono]

"Clever means smart," Arnold says proudly, because he's heard that word before and needs to share.

[kitchen_zen]

"You're absolutely right, Arnold. Clever does mean smart.

"I smart!" says Jordan happily.

"I smart!" Billy says around his strawberry.

[mm_mono]

Arnold chases a strawberry unsuccessfully with his spoon for a few seconds, then gives up on it and dips his fingers in his milk to pull it out.

"I got it!" he says happily as he munches on the strawberry.

[kitchen_zen]

"You did, and before long you'll be able to do it with your spoon."

Miss Auralie does the same thing with her banana, eventually scooping it up the side of the bowl and shoving it in her mouth.

"Though it's tough sometimes."

Meanwhile, Jordan and Billy finish up and are carrying their things in search of a trash can.

"Oh dear. Miss Bar? A little help, please?"

And one kitchen-sized trash can is provided.

[mm_mono]

"Gandpa always misses with his spoon," Arnold confides.

He patiently takes a few more bites of cereal, then pushes the bowl away and sits back in his chair.

[kitchen_zen]

"Since we're not in the school, I'll let that slide, but when we are, you'll have to put your own things away. All right?"

Miss Auralie isn't about to ask for a kitchen sink.

"Now, since we're all done, how about we play blocks?"

"I wanna play blocks," the twins say. Jordan goes on to add, "I buildin' a house."

[mm_mono]

"Not allowed to use the sink," Arnold protests with a slightly unhappy look. That's what he does at home.

He perks back up at the mention of blocks, however. "Can I make a house too?"

[kitchen_zen]

"But you're growing up to be a young man, so you'll be allowed to use the sink at school."

She gets down a big box of large, Lego-style blocks.

"And of course you can build a house. There should be plenty for everyone."