36 traps filled with fried food

[ectobabble]

Afternoon, everybody! ... Geez, that fair was really something. There were a couple moments when I felt like I was right back home on Coney Island! .... I wonder if it'll come back again... I didn't get to go on all the rides, 'cuz I didn't really wanna get sick. There's not much worse than nausea at high velocity, in case you folks didn't know.

But wow, they had so much great food! I'd never even thought of some of it before... I bought a bunch of stuff I didn't have time to try, so I could have it later, if anyone wants to --

[and that would be the creak of a mini fridge door]

Oh, no...! It's all mushy. .... Well, that's no good....! Aw, geez.

At least the giant eclair still looks okay....

Comments

Dictated forever

[huffythedragon]

...

At least you tried?

[ectobabble]

Yeah.... [he's still going to mourn his loss, though. the fried twinkies.... sob]

Hey, I didn't see, did they have fried gemstones at all?

[huffythedragon]

Nope. I did bring a bag to one of the carnival ghosts but they wouldn't fry them for me.

[ectobabble]

Awww, that's too bad. ... Hey! We could always try and wish up a deep-fryer for the kitchen and make our own! How hard could that be?

[huffythedragon]

So long as we don't make the castle mad by wishing for stuff.

[ectobabble]

I think as long as we keep it to smaller stuff, we should be okay. I'm pretty sure I was hurtin' that one day because of all the stuff I wished up for the containment unit.

[a thoughtful pause] And my darkroom. And Pete's gear.

[huffythedragon]

Tell me about it, I went to unconscious land remember?

[ectobabble]

I didn't realize it was the wishes that knocked you out! Oh, geez ... wow. You must've wished for an awful lot.

[huffythedragon]

Yeaaaah. Magic is pretty regular where I come from, I didn't think anything of it.

[ectobabble]

I can see how that'd make sense, yeah. It's funny, though, isn't it? How the castle waited this long to do somethin' like that? I've been lookin' in the old journals, and I haven't really found any other instances of it.

[huffythedragon]

Maybe it just got overloaded, I mean, some residents have been here for years.

[ectobabble]

That's actually a pretty solid theory. I wonder if there's a way to deal with it so that we don't get a giant backlog like that every however long ... that way it'd be easier to cope with the fallout. Kinda like the overflow drain in a bathtub, yanno?

[huffythedragon]

So we need to find the castle's....plughole?

[ectobabble]

Somethin' like that, yeah. ... I know, it's not a really pretty metaphor, but it's kind of the best I'm comin' up with off the top'a my head.

[huffythedragon]

I guess it works pretty okay. For a metaphor for a magic castle.

[fredless]

[Softly, but clearly amused]

Do I even want to know what you're talking about?

[ectobabble]

Fred...? Fred! Oh, Fred, I ... Mmh. I tried to save some fried twinkies, but ... [the most dejected sigh] ... they got all mushy in the fridge.

[fredless]

It can happen, sadly. Did you at least get a taste?

[ectobabble]

Not the fried twinkies. By the time I found 'em I'd already had the fried dough and the french fries and the chowder in a bread bowl and an Italian sausage hoagie.

[pause]

Oh, and a corn dog.

[fredless]

[She laughs a little]


Well at least you went out fighting.

[ectobabble]

[that's barely even a warm up for Ray, let alone a fight]

I would've had the fried pickles, too, but I didn't want to make myself sick on the rides. Did you and Wes have fun?

[fredless]

We didn't go, actually. We sort of decided to stay in.

[It's a bit more complicated than that. But it is also the truth]

[ectobabble]

Oh! ... [and instantly, Worry Mode activates] Are you guys okay? Did one of you get sick?

[fredless]

[She can hear the worry]

No, just...Charles went home.

[He might not recognize the name]

Gunn?

[ectobabble]

Oh. ... [and then the name clicks, for him] Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Oh, no, Fred. I'm sorry. I only talked to him a few times, but ... he seemed like a really great guy. I hope he'll be okay, wherever he is.

[fredless]

[The genuineness there touches her]

He'll be ok, I think. It's just that we were finally starting to make things right again, here. It's hard to let that go.

I guess I just didn't feel like Ferris Wheels and cotton candy after.

[ectobabble]

Yeah, I ... I could definitely understand that. ... I still have the giant eclair, if you want to share? And I got some great pictures of the rides. They should be done drying in the darkroom by now ...

[fredless]

You have a darkroom?

[It's the sort of detail that fascinates her, and Fred still hasn't fully gotten back her appetite]

[ectobabble]

Yeah! I've actually had it a while, I just ... don't take as many pictures these days. Or, I hadn't been. I've been trying to get back in the habit. Basically, all I did was wish up a second bathroom and refit it. You're welcome t' come and use it any time, if you want!

[fredless]

...no. [That came out wrong] I mean, I don't take a lot of pictures, actually. I was just sort of trying to say that I think it's great that you do.

[ectobabble]

[wow, rude, Fred. once she clarifies, though, all is forgiven] Oh. ... Well, then, that's okay! I know everyone's got different hobbies. You're still welcome to come see, if you ever want to know how it works, though.

[fredless]

I'm pretty familiar with the basics, I had a friend who was into photography in high school. I just didn't know anybody who actually enjoyed it here.

[ectobabble]

Yep! Well, even in a place like this, if you look long enough, you can probably find somebody that's good at just about anything. It's like a miniature New York.

[fredless]

[That makes her think]

Do you still miss it? New York I mean.

[ectobabble]

... Sometimes, yeah. I miss my friends more than I miss the place - except for the firehouse, I still miss that. There was a lot more work we still needed to do on it, and I was gonna help Egon move the lab up onto the third floor and expand it all ...

[squartatore]

[. . .]

I'm probably going to regret asking, but...the eclair's not fried, right?

[ectobabble]

Nope. Just huge... like, almost the size of my head! Did you see those? They had cream puffs, too, but ... I've always liked eclairs better.

[squartatore]

Must have missed them. [the moment all the grease in the atmosphere registered, she backed away without any regrets]

[ectobabble]

Well, this one's definitely big enough to share, if you wanna try some!

[squartatore]

Nah, you keep it. It's got to stand in for all the other food.

[ectobabble]

Aw, okay. ... Hey, I haven't talked to you in a while, either... how've you been?

[squartatore]

Same as usual. [only not, she just has no inclination to tell him] Didn't spend much time at the carnival, though.

[ectobabble]

You didn't? Oh, why not? It was fantastic! Were you not feeling good?

[squartatore]

[if she did, it was from the sheer concentration of oil in every direction, kthx] Just wasn't in the mood at the time.

[ectobabble]

Oh. ... Well ... maybe it'll come again, and then you can go!

[squartatore]

Yeah. [Not Bloody Likely. (on both counts)] Do you know if the castle's done anything like it before?

[ectobabble]

It hasn't in the year and a half or so I've been here, no ... but maybe it did before.