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[dog_eat_dog]

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[dog_eat_dog]

Yeah. Your room certainly had a lot more than we ever had in the QZ.

[Things get burned for warmth. Thrown away in some struggle to move on. Confiscated. Broken from overuse.]

You're lucky, in a way. You didn't have to learn to live without all this. It doesn't seem like something worth missing, but it's really just that life was easy enough that you had time to worry about how you looked in a bikini.

[The doorbell rings, and Tess gets to her feet.]

[vaccination]

[Getting her into a swimsuit that was one piece was a feat. A bikini? Ellie would be running for the hills. Turning in her seat, she peers over the back of the sofa as Tess disappears into the hall.

Damn, that was fast. Couldn't be that quick in real life.]

[dog_eat_dog]

[Certainly not. Tess greets the creepy Enclosure-generated delivery man, going through the routine: passing around the debit card terminal, paying out, tips, the little fumble to take a whole stack of pizzas with a couple smaller boxes on top and a bag of sodas. She nudges the door closed with her foot.

It smells fucking heavenly and the cardboard is hot against her hands, but that just puts her in a better mood. She heads off to the kitchen.]

You know, a lot of these places used to have guarantees that it'd be there in thirty minutes or it'd be free.

[vaccination]

[It smells so good Ellie's mouth is immediately watering. It puts a pep in her step as she gets up to follow Tess into the kitchen.]

That sounds stressful as fuck. Speeding pizza delivery drivers.

[She's not even looking at Tess. Just the boxes.]

Man, that smells amazing.

[dog_eat_dog]

They get paid based on how fast they can deliver. My older brother did it for a while. Made pretty decent cash.

[She unstacks all the boxes on the counter and then goes to the cupboard for plates. She slides one down the countertop to Ellie. ]

Trust me, if it tastes even half as good as it smells, then it's still going to be amazing.

[vaccination]

[Ellie pops open one box. Pineapple, she assumes, with the little golden things on it.]

So this one is the controversial one?

[dog_eat_dog]

Yup. Never has there been a more intense battle over pizza.

[She's taking two slices of it immediately.]

[vaccination]

[Ellie only takes one. But she's planning on one of each, as well as cheesecake and soda. She's not sure if she can barf up fake food... and doesn't really want to find out in front of Tess.]

I heard people would use ranch dressing with pizza?

[Joel told her. Sarah would slather it on most things, if she wasn't using ketchup.]

[dog_eat_dog]

[Tess is taking a big bite when Ellie says that, and she grins around her mouthful and sets her slice down just to go to the fridge and root around inside. She finds a bottle of ranch and a bottle of caesar and brings them back.]

Yeah, you dip the crust in different sauces. I should have ordered some, but this'll do.

[vaccination]

[Taking the ranch, she squeezes out way too much onto her plate, but whatever. Fake food. No reason to feel bad about waste. Then, she takes a bite of the pineapple pizza, trying not to end up with toppings all over her shirt as the cheese slips and slides over the sauce. A smaller bite would have been a better idea, but with new foods, she's not much better than a toddler.]

[dog_eat_dog]

[Tess chuckles, watching Ellie mess around as she cracks open her soda.]

Easy. Don't choke.

[vaccination]

Isshot.

[But good! Ellie, a pineapple on pizza fan. Go figure. She chews, swallows, and reaches for a soda. She can feel sauce on the corner of her mouth, and uses her sleeve to wipe it, ignoring the napkins included with the meal.]

This good?

[dog_eat_dog]

It's great. Polars are a Massachusetts thing and have been forever.

[And it tastes like pure nostalgia for Tess.]

[vaccination]

[Ellie, guard lowered, takes it under the assumption that any fizz would be mild. So, naturally, it goes right up her nose and she coughs, spluttering, and being much more dramatic than need be.]

Jesus! That's strong!

[dog_eat_dog]

[Tess laughs.]

It's carbonation. You'll get used to it! It's like drinking TV static.

[vaccination]

Fuuuck, my eyes are watering.

[Nose running, too. Ellie at least grabs a napkin to blow her nose, a smile hidden behind it. This is kinda fun.]

[dog_eat_dog]

[It is fun. Tess grins, leaning a hip against the counter and taking another swig of her own.]

To think we all used to drink this by the liter.

[vaccination]

It does not feel like it's good for you.

[Why does everything hurt her but kinda taste good.]

[dog_eat_dog]

That's 'cause the acid in it can strip a penny clean.

[But it's so good, even if it makes her teeth feel fucking atrocious.]

[vaccination]

Ugh, then why the fuck am I drinking it?

[She says, before trying another sip. It's like a kid tasting alcohol for the first time.]

[dog_eat_dog]

Because if you do things that are fun despite not being good for you, then you’ll be a normal, adjusted young adult.

[ Says the almost-forty year old vicariously reliving her teens through soda.]

[vaccination]

How'd that turn out for you?

[Ellie is happy to stand around and eat pizza like a pig at the trough. That said, she reaches for what she hopes is the cheesecake.]

[dog_eat_dog]

I think I’m plenty adjusted, actually. All that pizza and soda gave me an iron stomach, too.

[vaccination]

Yeah?

[Ellie grabs one of the plastic forks inside the box with the cheesecake, and pushes the other towards Tess.]

Prove it.

[Let's top off some dairy and soda pop with more dairy beyond that.]

[dog_eat_dog]

[She chuckles and takes it, but she knows she's going to regret it later. She takes a bite of cheesecake with a smug little look.]