The Lesser of Two Evils Theory

[Adelaide McLisk]

It was late. Add wasn't entirely sure why she was still out this late, but she just couldn't quite sleep. Maybe it had something to do with being back in Kalispell and feeling just plain out of sorts, or maybe it was just some math bouncing around in her head, refusing to be wholly shut up or silenced. or maybe she just felt like moving around a little in the still of the night. Though Add did actually miss the people, or at least the math and probabilities they brought with them.

This really only left her a few options right now. It was late, so most of the places that she would usually go were presumably closed. She could head to the club or bar district and attempt to socialize with people there. Add had never been one to really head there when she had been an Academy student, but now she could actually legally drink, and legally buy drinks for other people too, though not minors, of course. So she could, theoretically, head to a bar.

Or she could head into an all-night restaurant. There really only seemed to be one that was still open right now, and its golden arches stuck out, beckoning the hungry or the sleepless toward it like moths to a flame. Add sighed, doing the math in her head. A McDonald's wasn't her first choice of place to go either, not really, but it did have food, and it would be decidedly better than a bar. So, resolved, Add headed for the golden arched building.

She entered and spent a few moments looking around. She only saw one other person in here, someone who looked far more awake than Add herself. The mathematician blinked, the various probabilities coming at her rapidly. She finally couldn't hold herself and she approached. This was a problem she had to know the answer to:

"Are you here because you have some sort of biological necessity that makes it so that you enjoy the night? Or is it because you just can't sleep for whatever reason?" Add asked, and then, as if realizing that the whole blunt thing might be perceived as somehow rude, she added: "My name is Adelaide, by the way. I am not a creepy murderer or pervert.'

Because that wasn't obvious, clearly.

[Casey Pryor]

Casey didn't usually come here, to McDs but she'd been in town to visit her mother and had a sudden craving for the nuggets(they were simply divine) and a chocolate shake before she headed back to the academy. Not that she had any idea what she was gonna do once she got back. She let out a big sigh. Having nothing to do sucked when you had energy zipping through your body keeping your eyes wide open all night. 'I wonder how much trouble I'd get in if I didn't go back till after sunrise and just hung out in town all night.' Not that Casey had that much courage.

She had just finished her last nugget when someone walked up to her. Frankly the sudden appearance (after having been lost in her own little world arguing the pros and cons of growing a pair and actually staying) had Casey jumping in her seat and biting back a yelp. She stared wide-eyed at the girl.

"Are you here because you have some sort of biological necessity that makes it so that you enjoy the night? Or is it because you just can't sleep for whatever reason?" There was a small break.
"My name is Adelaide, by the way. I am not a creepy murderer or pervert.'



Casey blinked. Looked around the lobby, trying to get her thoughts coherent, then back onto the introduced Adelaide. "Um right. Maybe not a murderer or pervert, though I haven't ruled that out yet, but creepy...you're definitely edging that line. As for me being here at night, I don't see how that's any of your business but simply put, I just can't sleep. Oh, and I was hungry." Casey used her spoon to take a bite of her shake. 'Hell she seems harmless enough...' "My names Casey. What happens to bring you out this late?"

[Adelaide McLisk]

Add was used to people reacting in odd manners to her. It happened all too often. The jumping and yelping was a little new, but Add chalked that up to her walking over uninvited. She showed no outward reaction to the jerking or statement though, instead simply waiting patiently for answers to her question. Instead, she got defensive comments, which were data enough as it was, so Add wasn't altogether disappointed, a little perturbed, perhaps, but not disappointed.

"I am mostly interested," intoned Add, mostly addressing the 'how it was her interest' part. She was tempted to mention her ability, but she didn't think it prudent to be doing so to someone she just met. Perhaps she could bring it up somewhere later on in the conversation, assuming they had a conversation, and assuming that something like that came up. "I do not think this would be my first choice if I wished to eat food," Add paused, looking at the tray that Casey had. "But I found that I could not sleep, and the arches were quite appealing."

She paused, mentally reviewing the last few lines of conversation to see if she missed something. She had, sort of: "I'm Adelaide, by the way," she said, and then she figured she should probably stick out a hand; that was the standard greeting gesture. She also found herself curious about the food, especially given the various probabilities that were popping up around it. But she would wait to address those later.

[Casey Pryor]

'Mostly interested...' Casey repeated the answer silently to herself. Casey wasn't a suspicious person and Add didn't seem like a bad person, not that Casey could read people all that great. However she knew better then to talk about the real reasons she was up and out and so full of energy this late. It was one of the first things the Academy stressed to you.

"I don't blame you. This isn't my first choice usually either. However,I am simply crazy about the chicken nuggets. I dip them in ranch and then barbecue sauce and it makes them even more divine. I also agree with you about the arches, they are appealing. Well mostly bright, but that's the same thing," Casey replied with a smile.

"Adelaide, I like that." She reached out and shook her hand. As she let it go she gestured to an empty chair at the table. "Would you like to join me?"

 

[Adelaide McLisk]

Add considered the chicken nuggets for a few moment. Unfortunately for her, there was still probabilities hitting her there. Mostly involving the chances of that actually being chicken and not some strange byproduct that had been scraped off the back of the machine. It was surprisingly high. Add had pretty well learned to ignore those messages though: if she stopped and thought too much about all the food available, she'd end up eating nothing.

She did take the seat as it was offered to her, sliding a few times and getting herself mostly comfortable. There had been some hand shaking too, so Add was assuming that she was doing something socially acceptable here. She adjusted herself to a more comfortable position, or at least as comfortable as possible. Which of course meant a comment: "These chairs are not designed well for comfort. They likely do not want people to sit here for a long time, but are instead encouraging them to leave," she shifted again, then gave it up for a lost cause, looking at her companion. As always, math flooded Add's mind, and she blinked a few times.

"Do you really think that the chicken nuggets are 100% chicken? I find that hard to believe, as there are always particles that mix in. Chances are that you are eating some strange, secondary byproduct," she said. That felt like a good conversation piece to Add, seeing as the other wasn't going to answer the previous questions.

[Casey Pryor]

Casey couldn't help but smile a little at the girls attempts to get comfortable. "Well it is called fast food," she said with shrug. "I guess they want us out faster so they can have the table open for potential new customers." Talking about the seats had Casey shifting a few times herself. (Like when you get a bruise or cut or something but don't know cause there's no pain...UNTIL you actually notice it for the first time.)

Then Adelaide brought up a some-what disturbing topic. Of course she'd heard the debates about what kind of meat (if it really was) fast food places, but she'd been able to pretend like it wasn't that big of a deal. It was food, and it was good. Why did all that other stuff have to matter? (Which really was a very ignorant view to take). Of course the way her companion described it...'secondary byproduct'...had her stomach feeling a bit quesy. She cleared her throat softly. "Honestly, I don't know, but I figured if it was really really bad for you, like lethal bad, they wouldn't be allowed to serve it, right? And really if you try to over analyze every single thing you eat and drink, you'd never get around to eating or drinking enough of anything."

[Adelaide McLisk]

"You are most likely correct; I should have thought of that myself," admitted and complimented Add. She frowned, wondering for a moment why she hadn't. It sounded altogether logical, and she generally thought of the logical explanation before anyone else. She supposed it had something to do with the time of day, or perhaps her distraction with the nuggets.

Said distraction apparently got to Casey to some degree, as Add watched it work through, carefully observing the slight alterations of facial expression. More data locked in with Add, and she found herself logging it away, though not without drawing more conclusions from what she picked up. The cleared throat was noted, though Add elected not to comment upon it. Casey offered up more logic, and Add had to nod her concession.

"That is true, but there could be quite a bit in something without it being lethal. There is most certainly fecal matter in everything we consume. It probably lingers on the various employees here, despite the various signs insisting that they thoroughly wash their hands," Add paused, reviewing what she said before continuing, "but I do agree that overanalyzing can lead to not eating anything. I did that for a while, and it was most unpleasant," another pause, and Add looked at the paper. "Though I still wonder if the cardboard might make for a more pleasing meal choice..."

[Casey Pryor]

Casey's face went pale and she felt her stomach roll. "You certainly know what buttons to hit conversationally to make someone lose their appetite," she muttered. She looked around at the staff, "There's probably a statistic or something about how many people don't wash their hands," she said with a grimace. With a sigh she slid down in her chair and stretched out her legs in front of her. "Cardboard is to bland and the texture just doesn't feel right in the mouth. Trust me, I tried it when I was a kid," Casey said with a small smile, her arms swinging at her sides.

Casey eyed her company, "You know, you're a little unusual. No offense intended. I mean unusual in a good way."

[Adelaide McLisk]

A statistic? Add responded without even thinking about it: "less than three percent of the population washes their hands to the extent needed to cleanse themselves of all harmful germs. Thirty-three percent of those that at least attempt to wash their hands do not use soap or other such substances, and ten percent do not even attempt to engage in hand washing procedures whatsoever," Add paused, took a glance at the tray, and then fell silent, mostly because she figured that those figures would take a while to settle in. They certainly had when Add had first encountered them. She looked about the room for a few seconds, only to snap her attention back to Casey as the other said her bit.

Add blinked, still not moving, in fact almost looking like some kind of robot cleverly designed to look as close to a human lifeform as possible as opposed to a girl in her twenties. "Thank you?" she said, adding a slight inflection to make it sound more like a question. "I have been told I am unusual before now, but I must admit that this is the first time someone has said that is a good thing. Is there something I am doing that is pleasing to you?"

Add sounded genuinely interested at the end there, even leaning forward to try and make certain to catch whatever it was that Casey was about to say.