Fusion and Iron

17. A Compromise of Candy

"Thank you! Come again!"
Chowder gleamed and waved a hand. The urban ranger standing in front of his stand smiled and waved back, stepping away with their newly purchased frozen smoothie. Sweat dripped off the chilled drink, splatting onto the burning pavement underneath. In seconds it evaporated, leaving nothing behind.

The small catboy counted through the taros on his small tablet sitting behind the front desk, humming an upbeat tune to him. His head swayed left and right, the satisfaction of seeing the money go up catering to his brain. Even under the heat, he enjoyed slouching in a lawn chair in his cozy purple outfit. He even had a pair of little black sunglasses, giving off cool vibes.

Mung sat behind him as well, a spatula quickly put to work on hotdogs over a small grill. It sat hammered in the ground, the heat powered by a little propane tank. He had a tired grin on his face, hidden away by his own pair of sunglasses and a royal blue cap on. Twitching his mustache, he surveyed the Cul-de-sac and admired all of the happy customers. The tip jar was filled and their funds were up.

Yes, today was a good day.

"How much are we left on smoothies, Chowder?" he emphasized the 'w' in the word, looking expectantly at him.

The kid did a quick count of the little ice box below, measuring the smoothie station he had with him on hand and tapped his bottom lip. "We're about, erm.. six more drinks before we might need a rebatch."

"I don't think we'll need a rebatch," he replied smoothly. "We're doing just fine today with the progress we've made! Easy living, Chowder, eaaaasy liviiing."

Chowder snapped a finger gun at him, "Awe yeah! Easy living!"

"Excuse us, gentlemen!"

The two looked up, noticing another batch of customers standing in front of them.

All three of the Eds all were bundled up next to each other; Double D had his hands at his sides, Ed with his hands in his pockets and Eddy with his arms crossed. They all had their own unique smiles, looking directly at Chowder who was happy to serve them. Edd was the one who spoke first and also continued.

"We'd like three chillado smoothies, as well as three hotdogs please!"

Eddy nodded, "Yeah, it's been a busy day man."

"Okay! What flavor?" The boy asked, ringing it up on his tablet.

Ed bluntly said, "Blue!"

"Purple sounds great!" replied Edd.

Eddy darted his eyes at the painted billboard in front of them, humming to himself not knowing what he wanted at first. He just decided on, "Just gimmie a yellow."

The purchase was fast, all digitized. Chowder's tablet gave a satisfying bell ding to cue that it had been paid. He went to work, pulled out three cups, and served all of them up deliciously iced drinks fresh from the freezer. The straws were violently stabbed through the holes and the napkins rapidly pulled out.

When the hot dogs had been served last, they were lined up in rows on their own little plates. The heater was notched on the down low, as the grill was a bit too hot to handle for the moment. Mung waved his hand after dealing with the last one and stepped up to the front of the stand. He rested on it as he said calmly, "Thanks, boys! You're always good business for our stand."

"Of course, Mr. Daal! We appreciate your stand." Edd smiled, scooping up his dog and drink.

Eddy nodded, "Everybody loves you guys! How could we not?!"

"I love your hotdogs!" Ed replied, taking a massive bite out of his immediately.

Mung chuckled, giving them a wave. "You take care now! I'll let you get to cleaning up the pirate heap that just landed in our park!"

Ed and Edd laughed at his joke while Eddy rolled his eyes. "Yeah man, see you later!"

The three walked off, leaving the two of them together.

"It looks like just about everybody got a taste today, even a couple of the pirates!" Chowder exclaimed, pointing at a few of the men who were sitting together on the sidewalk.

Mung replied, "We'll give it another few minutes, then pack it up and take it home from here. We've done well enough to get off early."

"Al-right!" Chowder fist-pumped the air, doing a little dance.

Sitting across from each other at a weathered picnic table, Numbuh Two, Five, and Ranger Chris weren't getting anywhere with Captain Stickybeard. Their tense negotiations caused the air around them to grow dense, hanging heavily. Were it not for the smoothies all four of them happened to enjoy, they would have lashed out at each other from the summer heat by now. Numbuh Two's usually jovial demeanor was replaced with a stern expression, his brow furrowed in frustration as he leaned forward, hands clasped tightly together on the table. His usually cheerful voice carried a hint of annoyance as he addressed the pirate captain, his words laced with barely concealed irritation. "Captain, I understand your frustration but we can't let you get away with stealing nearly all of Pokey Oaks' candy. Everyone in Sector V is upset with the issues you have caused; why not just do actual work, or buy candy from the stores yourself?"

"Nay, in this economy?! I'll be dipped in chocolate before I give any more of my money into just buyin' candy! Besides, it ruins the fun." he futed.

"You're just as dumb as you are fat." Numbuh Five had seated beside Two, sharply sucking on her straw with a side-eye to the pirate. She had a steely resolve, Her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The annoyance in her eyes had been hidden by the shade of her cap, though it was obvious to know her mood. She seemed ready to pounce at the slightest nuisance, her impatience evident in the way that she tapped her foot rhythmically on the ground.

"Yer really tryin' to fix everything? With that big green blob in the sky?" he poked his hook up to Planet Fusion, shaking his head. His spit flung out onto the table in front of them as he said, "Yer wastin' yer time."