Chicken Fried

[Matt Wilson]

Normally Matt wouldn't eat at a school cafeteria. You had to be at least a little off in the head to volunteer to do that if you were a grown adult and all. However, Matt sort of volunteered to do this whole training thing, and that meant that sometimes he had to be on the school grounds, and sometimes his training sessions would go long while he had to put a student into a sleeper hold in order to calm their ass down. Still strange getting thanked for that by the one you were doing it too. Anyway, that meant that Matt was standing there in the cafeteria, staring down the line.

"Ain't there anything here that a grown-up would eat?" he asked, stretching his head and looking on down the line. "Is that?" He scooted forward slightly then leaned in. "Well, I'll be, actually looks like fried chicken." He leaned over to the closest person. "Or do you suppose they finally got those rats taken care of?"

Matt chuckled and leaned back, looking at it for a moment. He then looked over at the closest person's tray. "Seriously, what you eatin' 'round here? This grub any good or should I be askin' for some sorta special menu?"

[Callie Montgomery]

Callie had ran out of snacks in her room. It was mostly due to the fact that she spent so much time out on the schools grounds that by the time she got back to her room she was starving and usually just ate whatever she had laying around. Food had always seemed to be a problem for her. Only if she didn't have to eat. Now that would be something.

The student had found herself in the cafeteria. It was buzzing with her fellow classmates and teachers. Everyone needed to eat. Whether they wanted to or not. Grabbing a tray, she made her way over to the line. Hoping there was something she could eat. Usually she would end up eating salad, which of course is always delicious but lacks in the filling department. She needed something more hearty. As her grey eyes scanned the food in queue they locked on something that she hoped was what she thought it was. She bit her lower lip excited to see if she was right.

Callie heard someone talking next to her, and had originally ignored it, more focused on the meal she had her eyes set on. But when he spoke again, she realized he was speaking to her. She let out a giggle, and looked up at the man. "Oh my." She couldn't help but find his remark funny, even if it was a bit disturbing. "I surely hope it's chicken for your sake." She said as her accent lingered with each word she spoke, she offered a friendly smile. He had a similar accent too. Interesting. She was more concerned with her stomach at the moment, so she ignored it, for now. Callie looked back down the line. She bobbled her head back and forth as she always did when excited or anxious. She desperately wanted to move down the line some more.

When she heard the man speak again, she looked back at him. This time taking a closer look. Paying attention to the details of his face, and truly listening to the words he spoke, or more so how he said it. "It ain't bad, but it could be better. That's fo' sure." She said with a smile, as her grey eyes glanced back over at the food down the line. "I'm hoping that is eggplant parm." She said as she pointed. Oh how she hoped it was. Now that the thought was in her head, she felt her mouth salivate with the thought of her taking a bit.

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Tag: Matt Wilson

[Matt Wilson]

"You an' me both," Matt drawled. He couldn't help but smile a bit wider as he heard the words coming from the girl. She had a slight twang that reminded him a bit of home, or at the very least his home region. Plus, who didn't want to smile at a pretty girl when they were being friendly? And no, there weren't nothing creepy about it: Matt was definitely not thinking of the little thing like that.

Especially not when looking at the food options laid out in front of them. "Well, I heard the food's gotten better," Matt said as he looked over at the eggplant parm. "Somethin' about actually gettin' some money. Don't look like they really hit it out the park," Matt grabbed a fork and gave Callie's food a few pokes. "At least it ain't lookin' like it's gonna jump up an' attack. 'course, that could be on account of it bein' a veggie."

Matt gave Callie a serious look. "Why you eatin' that crap anyway? You should be eatin' the fried rat-chicken with me."

[Callie Montgomery]

The blonde let out another giggle. It sort of looked like fried chicken, emphasize on the sort of. For all she knew it could be fried rat like he said, although she highly doubted it. A school like this would not be caught serving its students and faculty rats. Or so she hoped.
 
Even though she was hungry she looked at the man again. Always one to pry she gave him a smile, “So where you from?” She asked, grin growing wider. She knew with that accent he wasn’t from around here. Originally at least. The kicker was the fact he wanted fried chicken, which reminded her of her own daddy. She could picture him now. Coming in from a long day’s work on the ranch, hollering to her mama where the damn chicken was. Her smile grew softer as she began to reminisce. She was brought back when she heard the man talk again.

“Yeah. It’s a tad bit better. They’re still room for improvement if ya ask me.” Callie said as she eyed his fork poking her food. What an odd thing to do. She let out a laugh and covered her mouth and nose when she heard herself snort. Something that usually only happened when she found something really funny. Callie couldn’t help but picture her food attack her. That was funny. “Attack of the eggplant parm!” She said with another laugh as she raised her hands in front of her as to defend herself from a potential attack.

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with veggies!” She said as she folded her arms against her chest and tried to make a serious face. It failed miserably. Her signature smile popped back within seconds. “I don’t eat no chicken.” She said, and before he could start getting on her case she raised up her hands, “I know I know. Mama and daddy always told me fried chicken is a blessin’.” She said as she shook her head. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, but none for me. No thanks.”

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Tag: Matt Wilson

[Matt Wilson]

The question had Matt smiling, particularly when said with a semi-familiar accent and intonation. "Great nation o' Texas," he replied, drawling and spreading Southern honey over each and every word. "Which is how I know all about things like fried chicken."

And whatever it was that she'd been poking. It was apparently some kind of eggplant, which was just further proof that it shouldn't be something that someone should actually eat, at least not as a main course. Matt drew his eyes away from the food and toward the girl as she moved, noticing the crossed arms and the attempt at a "serious" face. Matt ended up laughing about the same time that the girl started to do so. The bit about not eating chicken did have him raising his brows, his mouth starting to open.

She cut him off, the hand and the words working together fairly well. Matt silenced and waited with that smile as she kept going, fried chicken being a blessing. "So, you're one of them... veggie-eaters," Matt said, gesturing at her plate and leaning over slightly. "Didn't think I'd ever see the time when one of my own would turn like that. You're makin' someone's grandma roll over in her grave. Hope you got a good reason for it."

[Callie Montgomery]

It was weird, as soon as he said he was from Texas she was overcome with a sense of…comfort. Just knowing she wasn’t alone gave her great satisfaction. Obviously she wasn’t actually alone, that much she knew. It was the simple fact that there was someone else who understood her, someone who she could actually relate to. Even though she was from the same county as everyone else the people in the north did certain things differently than what she was used to back home. The most apparent was the way that they spoke. She was aware that she had been subjected to it during her time here, and every now and then caught herself saying things she would never say.

“I’m from Texas too!” She said a little too excitedly. Lowering her voice back to normal, she continued. ”But I’m sure ya knew that already.” Her smile kept growing. Fried chicken. She would never escape it. That was no apparent. Nevertheless, she never let anyone bring her down for her beliefs. She felt how she felt and no one was going to change that. Especially a fellow Texan.

Callie let out another giggle, “Yes sir. Vegetarian.” She said as she held up a finger. Her blue eyes narrowed on him. Another critic. She always had to explain herself, people could never just accept it. Her daddy had understood, her mama though. Oh how she complained. She felt it was extra work for her, because now she had to make a separate meal for her daughter. It was silly really. If anything, they all should have done the same thing, and then her mama would only have to make one meal for everyone. Same thing.

She let out a sigh. “I know. My mama used to tell me that all the time.” Her mind was reminiscent of the past. She smiled regardless, it didn’t bother her that her mama disagreed. She was entitled to it. Callie took in a deep breath. “Look, growing up on a ranch like I did. I got very close to all the animals, and I just didn’t find it right how at night the dogs and cats could come in and sleep with us, but all the other animals had to stay outside, unknowingly waitin’ for their death an’ all. It’s just horrible. Who decided that cats and dogs shouldn’t be eaten?!” Her words ran together and as she spoke her voice was getting louder, her smile had faded.

Another sigh escaped from her lips. “Just saying is all.” She gave the man a shrug. “Ya know, that’s how they found out ‘bout my powers.” She started, her smile returned, brighter than it had been. “I was waitin’ for dinner, and I was thinkin’ about all the animals outside joining us at the table.” She started to laugh at the thought of the chicken sitting next to her daddy.

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Tag: Matt Wilson