Cafeteria, Monday Lunchtime

[seveninchmotto]

You know who went on dates in a school cafeteria?

No one.

Which was just as well because Isabelle and Raleigh weren't here on a date, either. She was crystal clear on that fact, anyway. Because she was here just to pass some time and be entertained and maybe learn a few amusing mundane factoids. Who knew about poor Raleigh?

"So," she said, stepping into that all-important place of occasionally questionable nourishment. "This is the cafeteria."

[ooc: Izzy's here with/for her not-date, but omg it's an open cafeteria post which is indeed open!]

Comments

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

Excuse you, this was the most romantic date ever. God, Isabelle.

"Where mystery meat comes from." A beat. "Though back home it was reindeer and not really that mysterious."

[seveninchmotto]

"Mystery meat?"

Well, there was a romantic topic!

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

The most romantic! Aren't you romanced?

"It's meat. That's a mystery." Keep up, Isabelle.

[nottrivial]

Alec had been to the cafeteria all of once before determining that its cuisine was insufficiently healthy, and he hadn't really planned on returning. But hearing Izzy's voice as he was passing through the hallway changed his plans.

He stuck his head in the doorway. "I don't think people actually eat in here," he supplied helpfully. Completely for Isabelle's benefit. Sorry, Raleigh; Alec hadn't noticed you yet.

[seveninchmotto]

SO ROMANCED.

"How is it a mystery? Meat comes from animals. Where's the mystery?"

Rich talk from someone who made meals that were all mystery meals.

[seveninchmotto]

"But I've been told they do," Isabelle informed him, turning to look back at the door. She'd actually been told this little tidbit by Raleigh, of all people! "Weird, isn't it?"

She should've looked more surprised to see Alec. But she didn't.

[toomuchmoop.livejournal.com]

Hey, it might not have been a date, but nothing was going to stop Danny from acting like it was anything but a date. Because that's what Danny did, especially in spotting Isabelle and Raleigh engaged in non-date, non-romantic cafeteria liaisons on his way to get some mega rad lunch.

"Whoo-hoo-hooooo!" he said, pumping his fist in the air.

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but what animal?"

[nottrivial]

"Who told you that?" Alec inquired skeptically. It seemed like a logical follow-up question.

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle shook her head.

"I don't understand why this is a thing."

Mundies were weird.

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle smiled widely. "Raleigh."

Have fun under that bus, Raleigh!

[nottrivial]

"Who?" And that was when Alec spotted Raleigh. Oh, god. "Iz, he's Max's age."

Not lowering his voice at all, no.

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"Mystery meat or the cafeteria?"

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle waved a hand. "Oh please, no he's not."

This was also not a date, but there was no fun in pointing that out.

[seveninchmotto]

She twisted her lips for a second.

And then shrugged.

"Either one. The cafeteria's a little easier to understand, though."

[nottrivial]

"I'm pretty sure he is," Alec countered. Nice comeback, Lightwood. "What are you even doing?"

[seveninchmotto]

"I'm getting a tour of the cafeteria," she told him, gesturing at the room at large. "It's a part of the school, don't you think I should get acquainted?"

Hey, they might have to defend it in an invasion one day.

[nottrivial]

"I don't think you're going to want to eat here much," Alec said. He wasn't really being stern - it was just reflexive to question Izzy's choices from time to time. "Is your new friend really a qualified tour guide? I haven't seen him around."

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"I'm pretty sure the mystery meat thing is just a joke." But the lunch lady was serving something ominously gray.

[seveninchmotto]

Yeah, Isabelle was kind of... squinting in that general direction right now.

"Are you sure about that?"

[seveninchmotto]

'Stern' might have gotten him laughed at, anyway.

"Well why would you have?" Isabelle scoffed. "He's my roommate. Maybe we don't socialize with you fourth floor folks that much – although I did meet your roommate the other day."

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"Less and less each passing minute," Raleigh admitted.

[seveninchmotto]

The correct response was to try and go take a closer look, right? Because Isabelle had no tact.

"We should investigate."

So she was trying to take his hand to drag him along with her. Or to make him freak out about a girl touching him. One of those.

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"Seriously?" It was more the fact that the lunch lady looked creepy than the hand grabbing that startled him. Because that would happen later.

[seveninchmotto]

He was about to learn Isabelle was the kind of person who ran towards creepy people, not away from them.

And sometimes cheerfully, too.

"Come on!"

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

Damn it, Isabelle.

Raleigh sighed, trailing after her. If they got in trouble, well, let's be honest. He'd probably take the fall for her.

[seveninchmotto]

Please, it was just a lunch lady! What trouble could they possibly get into? (Isabelle may have mostly ever been in demon-related trouble. It might have skewed her perspective.)

Once close enough, Isabelle very helpfully pointed right at the... grey... stuff. Whatever it was.

"What is that?"

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

The lunch lady grunted something that might have been 'beef', but it certainly didn't look like beef. Well, maybe some alien beef.

"I think maybe this is why people learn to cook in the common rooms," Raleigh said, eyeing it warily.

[seveninchmotto]

"Did she say beef?" Isabelle checked. "Because it doesn't look like it. Does that even seem sanitary to you?"

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"Maybe it was once beef?" Long, long ago. In a distant land.

[seveninchmotto]

"When?" Did they get their beef through some wibbly wobbly, timey wimey kind of system? "Raleigh, why did you offer to show me something so disgusting?"

Totally his fault.

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

Maybe they did!

"It's an important school experience!" It totally was, okay?

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle tilted her head to the side and even batted her eyelashes at him a time or two. You know. Innocently. "Is it?"

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"Well, yeah. Like sports." Not that he played them.

[seveninchmotto]

"Do you play sports?" Isabelle asked. Because she had to. "I don't get those, either."

When you were a Shadowhunter, most of your life was a sport.

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"Hockey a little bit." Because who didn't love a violent sport on ice?

[seveninchmotto]

"That's the one they play on ice, right?"

Isabelle spent a lot of time putting on an airhead facade, but this question happened to be genuine. Sports? Not a big thing in her culture.

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"With the sticks and nets too," Raleigh joked.

[seveninchmotto]

Probably worked better on people for whom that wasn't actually necessary information.

Her head tilted to the side again. "What's the point in that?"

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"To win?" Look, don't bring logic into sport, Isabelle.

[seveninchmotto]

"And...?"

At least when you slayed demons, the prize was that they weren't going to bother anyone for a while!

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

Well, he'd agree that a fight made way more sense.

"It's just a game. I don't think there's really a point to it."

[seveninchmotto]

"Then why do it at all?" she wondered. Clearly not grasping the concept of games very well. (Games were for kids, okay.) "Is it because there aren't enough important things to do?"

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

"Why not?" Oh, Isabelle. Yours was a sad childhood.

[seveninchmotto]

Hey, her childhood was part of the reason she could basically cut people in half with her whip now. Her childhood was fine. Really.

"Because it's pointless."

She preferred her pointless things to be of a different sort.

[notajaegerbomb.livejournal.com]

Raleigh just shrugged at that. "Then don't play them."

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle shrugged back. Hers just came with a dazzling smile.

"I don't. Easy."