2020-02-09 - A Surprisingly Large Number of Ways to Cut Pigs

If there's one person who looks at-home in a diner bedecked in grizzly bears, it's a park ranger. Niall's park-issue coat is looped over the empty chair next to him, and the iconic hat sits on the counter next to his plate. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows and his shirt is untucked. He's currently in conversation with a bored-looking waitress. "...so that's why it's a very bad idea to eat mushrooms you find along the edge of a trail. Especially the ones that glow in the dark. Y'see, that's nature's warning label." He waggles a particularly long fry. He doesn't sound like a Washingtonian. He's plainly Kiwi.

Isolde wandered into the Grizzly Den Diner, taking a peek around. Even though it was freezing outside, it was perfect weather for a milkshake. Right? Right. She was clad in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved green shirt that had little white frogs on it and a slightly oversized winter coat that was unzipped. Her long red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, wild blue eyes wandering the diner.

Those eyes pin briefly on to the park ranger hat and then back to the man. Milkshake order briefly forgotten, or side lined. "Mushrooms glow in the dark??" A sincere question as she definitely sat down in a chair across from him without asking first.

Niall lifts an eyebrow at Isolde, munches his wagging fry and then says, "Aw, yih. They do. Bioluminescence. Not all of 'em, mind. But some of them. Real Alice-in-Wonderland style. And probably just as likely to trip you up. Well. Probably more likely to give you violent in-and-outs, but you know." He lifts a shoulder. Someone biting into their burger a few seats down gives him the stink eye.

Isolde looks fascinated. "I've never seen. A glowing mushroom! Do they have glowing ones here?" The waitress still lingering nearby causes Isolde to remember what she originally came here for. "Oh! Chocolate milkshake please. With Strawberries in it." She may or may not get the strawberries. Depends on how generous the staff was feeling tonight. Then she looks back at the man. "Where are you from? That accent is. Neat." The more she spoke the easier it was to identify the slightly stilted, childish way in which she talked.

"Yip. We do. Not super common, but you can find 'em." Niall breaks a fry in half. Funny, he didn't do that with the extra long one, but he did with that totally ordinary length one. "I was born here." He says quite seriously. But a moment later, there's a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm from New Zealand." Niu Zillund. "You?"

"I'll have to try. Maybe not now." Her nose wrinkles as she looks towards the window and then back to Niall. "Too much snow on the ground now." Resting her chin in her hands, a little giggle when he finally answered really where he was from. "New Zealand. That's so far away! Why did you come here?" Her head tilts a bit, thinking. "Portland. Oregon. But I've traveled. All over the country."

"Snow is not ideal mushroom huntin' weather, no. But how cool would glowing mushrooms loook through the snow? That's right festive." Niall picks up a triangle of clubhouse sandwich, sans bacon and takes a bite. "I told you, I was born here." He dabs a bit of mayo off the corner of his mouth. "Got family and everything."

She eyes the man dubiously. Conflicting information! Likely a result of her own comprehension issues. But, in true Isolde fashion, she just keeps moving right along. "Do you have a big family? Big families look fun." She pushes back a few stray strands of hair. "Also yes. Glowing mushrooms on snow. WOULD look cool. Probably. But - you'd have to dig them up. Out." Straightening up a little in her seat, she takes off the winter coat since it is warmer inside than out after all.

"I would say it's average size as far as families go. Well, 'cept my cousin takes in all sorts of foster kids. So that ups the average a titch." Niall doesn't seem put off by any oddities she might be displaying. There's kindness in dark eyes.

"That's nice of her. Him? Them." Isolde nods. "Do you have any kids?" Curious, gaze drifting briefly as her milkshake was served and a bright smile lit up her features. "Thank you!" Then back to Niall as she picked up the spoon also to scoop up some of the shake. "My name is Isolde. What's yours?"

"Niall. And no, I haven't got any kids. You?" He picks up another fry and then nudges his plate over. "Feel free to do the ole milkshake dunk with some of these if you feel like it. I always find they give way too many chips. Not a complaint you'd hear too often, but," he leans in just a little and mock-whispers, "I also don't like bacon so I don't know why I haven't been run out of town yet."

"Oh no. No kids." Isolde quickly shakes her head. "I will have frogs soon though! When the weather is better. Cute little tree frogs." As if her shirt and frog charm bracelet weren't enough to portray that she might have a slight obsession with them. "Thank you!" She plucks up a fry, looking at him wide-eyed. "No bacon? That's so sad! Why don't you like it?" As she dips her newly claimed fry in the shake before eating it.

"Well, one, it's weird over here. So salty and shatter-y. Two, my mum's Jewish. Not observant, really, but she didn't grow up with pork so we never had it much around the house. I don't think my doctor'd say it's sad, really." Niall grins.

"It's...weird here? What's it like other places?" Isolde seemed intrigued as she snagged another fry. "My boyfriend is Jewish! And his family. Makes sense then." She chuckled, "But doctors don't want you to have fun." Eating another spoonful of the milkshake - strawberry included!

"Aw, I don't know. I've known some fun doctors. And what about The Doctor?" Niall says that like it's some argument-winning statement. "Look, I'm not a bacon expert. Like I said, I don't eat much pork. But it's sort of more ham with a bit of fat than all fat and salt. More flavour."

"The Doctor?" Isolde looks a little perplexed. "Who's that?" Clearly she's not up to do date on her pop culture. "Huh." A thoughtful little noise. "Like...oh! Like canadian bacon!" She nods then as it all clicks in to place. "You work at the park?" She asked - a gentle tap at his hat. Which is good of her because she is half tempted to try it on, BUT resists. For now.

"Ah, no, it's like rashers from England, more like. People've sorted out a surprisingly large number of ways to cut and cure pigs." Niall looks at the hat, then looks up at her, face serious. Sort of. "Nope. Just uh, just robbed a guy at the laundromat. Everything just happened to fit. And I got this cool hat." He keeps a straight face for only a moment and then says, "Yih. Just got transferred closer to town. Been toddling around the forest a few years now." He reaches into his wallet and pulls out cash for his lunch, which he sets on the counter with a friendly tip. "You can keep eating those chips if you like. I'm all done with 'em. Afraid I gotta go and look for the cousins of these guys," he motions around the diner. Then he puts the hat back on. He wears it very far back so it sort of halos and reveals a good bit of his salt-and-pepper hair. "Lovely to meet you."

"Rashers." Isolde repeats as if making a note to check it out later. She stares at him for a longer moment and then laughed. "Thank you. Was nice to meet you Niall. Be careful with the bears and bad things!" Offering him another sunny smile before she did indeed pull the rest of his fries closer to her to munch on with the shake.