Something to Talk About

Chapter 3 - The Saloon

They occupy their usual spot in the Stardrop Saloon – the arcade. It's nice there; the music's a little quieter, and nobody ever ventures in to bother them. Abigail lounges on a couch in the corner, holding a bag of ice to the back of her head, while Sebastian and Sam start up a game of pool.

"We should ask around the bar, maybe," Abigail suggests some time later, as the boys move on to their third round of pool. "See if anybody's found any missing items lately."

"Let's not," Sebastian replies. "I thought you were done playing Nancy Drew for the day."

Abigail toys with the towel that's wrapped around her slowly-defrosting bag of ice. "Well I'd like to do something besides sit around and watch you two," she huffs. "Let me play a round. My head feels better now."

"Play some Prairie King." Sebastian is studying the pool table, preparing to take his next shot. Across from him, Sam is drumming his fingers on the table as he waits. "I'm not done kicking Sam's ass yet."

Sam sighs, and leans forward, resting his arms on the edge of the pool table. "Can't we take a break, Seb?" He casts a wistful glance over his shoulder, towards the bar. "I'm hungry. Let's order that pizza."

"Fine," Sebastian relents. He sets his cue stick down on the table. "You and Abby go." Sebastian steps back, and flops down on one of the nearby couches. "I'll just hang back here."

"Sure," Sam agrees. He motions for Abigail to follow him, and together they make their way over to the bar.

Inside the main bar Emily's weaving between tables, balancing two trays of drinks, while Gus is patiently going over the menu with the farmer. She's alternating between inquiring about the Saloon's gluten-free options, and trying to order pizza and a round of beers.

"Ugh, I hope my mom doesn't hear the farmer talking about her new diet," Sam complains, leaning back against the counter. "I bet gluten-free pizza tastes gross... what is gluten, anyways?"

"Don't worry about it, Sam," Abigail says, "gluten-free stuff costs more; your mom wouldn't go for it." She nudges him as something catches her attention. "Hey, look over there for a second. I think Marnie's flirting with Lewis."

"Yeah?" Sam says, with mild interest, though he doesn't turn to look. He's picked up one of the Saloon's menus instead, frowning as he reads the list of ingredients at the bottom.

"Yeah. She's looking at him the way you look at Seb."

This time Sam looks up, elbowing her in the side as he does so. "Shut up," he mutters. The lighting in the Saloon is a little dim, but his cheeks are noticeably more pink than usual. "We're not out yet."

Abigail smirks. "Come on, people are bound to figure it out eventually. You guys are so obvious about it." Sam frowns at her, and she decides to take pity on him.

Taking him by the arm, she pulls Sam away from the bar, and into the hallway just next to the jukebox. It'll be a little harder to hear each other over the music here, but at least the rest of the saloon's patrons won't be able to hear them as easily, either.

"How're things going with you and Seb?" Abigail asks. "You guys gonna do something special for his birthday? You know, Gus rents out that room back here for a very reasonable price. Very romantic... and very private." She winks at him.

"We, um, already have plans, actually," Sam admits. "We're gonna drive out to Zuzu; Seb wants to get his septum pierced. Maybe grab dinner after or something?"