"Low blood sugar, huh?" Pacha made conversation as he carried the llama through the jungle.
"Yeah. It's a curse." Atoc giggled, not believing the lazy llama.
"Well, as soon as we get something to eat, you're walking the rest of the way."
The trio was headed to find somewhere to eat since everyone was hungry and Kuzco apparently had low blood sugar.
Upon arriving at Mudka's Meat Hut they saw a sign saying no llamas were allowed inside. They decided to get creative. Using Pacha's hat and poncho, a flower that Atoc found they tried to make Kuzco look as much like a human woman as they could, though it wasn't the best disguise.
"Welcome to Mudka's Meat Hut home of the mug," the waitress paused when she saw looked at Kuzco, who giggled in a high-pitched voice and flapped an improvised fan in front of his face, "of meat. What'll it be?"
"We'll have three specials. Is that all right, dear? Sweetie?" Pacha asked Kuzco and Atoc respectively. Atoc nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would burst out into uncontrollable laughter and blow the whole plan.
"Oh, whatever you say, pumpkin. You know what I like." Kuzco fluttered his eyelashes, Pacha laughed before turning to the waitress.
"We're on a family vacation."
"Bless you for coming out in public." The waitress was amazed that the couple had managed to have such a normal-looking daughter. She took the menus and double-checked the order. "So that's three specials."
"And an onion log." Kuzco's voice slipped but he corrected himself with a laugh. "To split." The waitress flashed him a grin, before turning to the kitchen and shouting out their order.
"Ordering! I need three heartburns and a deep-fried doorstop on table 12!"
Pacha, Kuzco and Atoc all burst out laughing once the waitress had gotten far enough way. They couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Okay, so I'll admit this was a good idea," Pacha admitted.
"When will you learn that all my ideas are good ones?" Kuzco leaned back, relaxing and talking in his usual voice once again.
"That's funny," Atoc deadpanned, "because I thought that you going into the jungle by yourself being chased by jaguars, and lying to us," Atoc pointed between herself and her father, "to take you back to the palace were all really bad ideas."
"Oh, yeah. Anything sounds bad when you say it with that attitude." Kuzco still wasn't quite used to her talking back to him. Usually, people just agreed with whatever he said, but he was enjoying the banter.
The waitress walked over, balancing three plates with their food, "Hot and crispy pill bug for the happy family."
Pacha and Atoc took the wooden straw that was provided and smacked the bug, making it uncurl. Steam rose from the underside, making both of their mouths water.
"Oh, boy." Pacha stuck the straw into the bug and slurped up the whole thing, minus the shell of course. Kuzco watched the man disgusted. Atoc ate her food with her fork, though Kuzco was still grossed out by the fact that they were eating bugs. "Oh, here. Let me get that for you." Pacha reached over, hitting Kuzco's bug for him, which put the emperor over his tolerance for gross. He moved out of the booth, his eyes never leaving the bug as if it was going to start moving again.
"Where are you going?" Atoc questioned between bites.
"I'm just gonna slip into the kitchen and have a word with the chef." Kuzco began to move towards the kitchen, falling to all fours.
"You're gonna get us thrown out," Pacha warned.
"Please. With this disguise," Kuzco leaned on the table and pushed at the curled wool around his head, "I'm invisible." He walked toward the kitchen, a man at the bar saw and watched as he walked by, giving Pacha a grin and a thumbs up once Kuzco was in the kitchen. Pacha just smiled awkwardly and Atoc giggled into her hand.
Pacha and Atoc went back to eating, oblivious to the conversation occurring behind them.
Yzma and Kronk had been wandering around the jungle for ages trying to find Kuzco, but were unsuccessful. Lunch seemed like a good idea.
"We've been walking around in circles for who knows how long. That is the last time we take directions from a squirrel." Yzma rubbed her forehead, a headache forming due to the stress. "I should have done away with Kuzco myself when I had the chance."
The last part caught Atoc and Pacha's attention. Atoc spit out her drink and Pacha started to choke on the pill bug he was eating.
"Oh, you really gotta stop beating yourself up about that." Kronk tried to comfort his boss, who, in her anger, bent her fork so that it was unusable. "Uh-oh. I'll get you another one there, Yzma." Kronk turned to ask for a fork from Pacha. "You using that fork, pal? Hey, don't I know you?"
"I don't think so." Pacha was trying not to let Kronk see his face, just in case the man had seen his face. Atoc turned her head away to look out the window, preventing the large man from seeing her face.
"Wrestled you in high school?"
"Don't remember that."
"No? Metal shop?"
"Uh, no..."
"Oh, I got it. Miss Narca's interpretive dance... two semesters. I was usually in the back because of my weak ankles. Come on, pal." Kronk put his hand on Pacha's shoulder, freaking the panicking man out even more, though Kronk seemed oblivious. "You gotta help me out here."
"Uh, no, look, I-I don't think we've ever met, but, look, we gotta go." Pacha grabbed Atoc's arm pulling her out of the booth with him.
"Don't worry. I'll think of it." Kronk waved and then pointed to his head.
In the kitchen, Kuzco was arguing with the chef over the quality of the food.
"Look, all I know is the food looked iffy. All right? And I'm not the only one that thinks that, I'm sure." The chef was clearly not happy with being told that his food wasn't good.
"Psst! Hey!" Pacha tried to get the llama's attention while Atoc kept her eye on the people trying to kill the emperor.
"So, I'm just checking to make sure that you're gonna take the main course up a notch." The chef was getting increasingly annoyed at the complaining. He tried to get his frustration out by stirring the soup in the pot faster, but it wasn't helping.
Back in the restaurant, Atoc was watching Yzma and Kronk trying to figure out what they wanted to eat, though Yzma didn't seem to like the menu either.
"Is there anything on this menu that is not swimming in gravy?" Yzma asked, annoyed with the menu.
"Hang on. I'll go ask the chef." Kronk put down his menu and started towards the kitchen.
Atoc squeaked and started hitting her father's back. "The big one is coming!" she managed to get out.
In the kitchen, Kuzco was still berating the chef, who was clearly on his last nerve.
"It's a simple question. Is there or is there not," Pacha pulled the llama out of the kitchen, but Kuzco managed to struggle back in to finish his question, "anything edible on this menu?" The chef was not happy. One more comment about his cooking or the menu and he would quit! Atoc was looking out the small window in the kitchen doors.
"He's still coming! We can't go that way!" Pacha gasped at his daughter's words and started pushing Kuzco back through the kitchen.
"Hey, I didn't ask him about dessert yet!" Kuzco said as he was shoved into the pantry.
"Hey, pal, what's your policy on making special orders?" Kronk asked as he walked into the kitchen, not meaning to irritate anyone, but it pushed the chef over the edge.
"All right, buster, that's it! You want a special order, then you make it! I quit!" The chef threw his hat on Kronk's head, leaving the poor man confused and stuttering.
"Yeah, but I... Hold on." Kronk tried to get the chef's attention but he just kept ranting.
"You know, I try, and I try, but there's just no respect for anyone with vision." The chef pulled out his suitcase and put his tools into it, having made up his mind to go find a job somewhere where people appreciated his cooking. "That-That's it! There's just nothing I can do about it!" He irritated man left Kronk alone in the kitchen, bewildered and with new orders coming in.
"Wait a second. Please don't go.
"Ordering. Three pork combos, extra bacon on the side, two chili cheese samplers..." The waitress called, after ringing the bell to get the cook's attention.
"No, no." Kronk was freaking out, this wasn't his job and the waitress didn't even seem to notice since she continued to ramble off the order.
"A basket of liver and onion rings, a catch of the day and a steak cut in the shape of a trout. You got all that, honey?" Kronk blinked, he could handle that, it was easy to make food.
"Three oinkers wearing pants, plate of hot air, basket of Grandma's breakfast and change the bull to a gill, got it," Kronk repeated the order back, confident he could make the meals.
In the pantry, Atoc was keeping an eye on what was happening outside through the keyhole in the door.
"What's going on?" The emperor asked, confused as Pacha struggled to open the window behind them.
"There's no time to explain. We gotta get out of here." Pacha whispered, continuing his fight with the wooden board that blocked the window.
Back at her table, Yzma was getting annoyed with how long it was taking Kronk to ask about a special order.
"What is he doing in there?" Yzma got up from the table and headed to the kitchen, where Kronk was putting on the oven mitt and getting ready to be a chef.
In the pantry, Pacha finally got the window open. "Come on!" He needed to get the emperor out of the restaurant. These people wanted to hurt him and Pacha didn't want to see that happen, no matter how annoying the boy was. But Kuzco wasn't having it. They came here to get food and he hadn't eaten yet.
"In a minute. I'm still hungry." The cross-dressing llama maneuvered around Atoc, who fell back as he did so. The emperor felt a little bad that the girl fell, but he really wanted some food.
"No, Kuzco!" Atoc tried to warn him, but he proceeded back out into the kitchen.
"Okay, I'll make it simple for you. I'll have a spinach omelet with wheat toast. You got it?" Kuzco ordered as he made his way out of the kitchen, not even noticing that the chef was different.
"Can do," Kronk responded, not turning around from the stove as Kuzco walked through one of the doors.
Pacha and Atoc followed the llama, trying not to draw attention to themselves, but as Kuzco walked out one door, the other door opened to reveal Yzma.
"What's taking so long?" She demanded.
Pacha and Atoc dove under the island to keep from being seen.
"Pickup!" Kronk called out the order window.
"Kronk," Yzma could not believe what she was seeing. "What are you doing?"
"Kind of busy here." Kronk didn't answer the question. It was the lunch rush and he had to get all the orders out before people started getting mad.
"Why am I not surprised?" Yzma asked herself, as Kronk reached under the island for a bowl. Atoc squirmed away from the hand, while Pacha grabbed a bowl to give to the man.
Kronk poured the soup into the bowl and sent another shout through the order window. "Yo! Order's up!"
"Oh, well, while you're at it, make me the special. And hold the gravy!" Yzma needed her food. If Kronk was the one to make it at least she'd get exactly what she wanted. She walked out the exit to go sit back in her booth, only for Kuzco to come back into the kitchen as Kronk finished another order.
"Check. Pickup!"
"You know what? On second thought, make my omelet a meat pie." The emperor had realized that it was closer to lunch than breakfast, so he figured he'd get something more filling than an omelet. Then he went back out the exit door. Pacha and Atoc made a run for the door while Kronk's back was turned.
"Meat pie. Check." Kronk acknowledged the changed order. Then Yzma came back into the kitchen. The two villagers had to hide in plain sight this time. Pacha posed in front of an extra sign, while Atoc crouched behind it. Yzma did not notice.
"Kronk! Can I order the potatoes as a side dish?" She was still more concerned about her food.
"I'll have to charge you full price." Yzma groaned but accepted it as she walked back out of the kitchen.
Kuzco walked back in, deciding he needed a side with his meat pie. "Hey, how about a side of potatoes, my buddy?"
"You got it." Kronk still didn't turn around as Kuzco left and Yzma opened the other door. "Want cheese on those potatoes?"
"Thank you, Kronk. Cheddar will be fine." She walked back out of the kitchen.
"Cheddar spuds coming up," Kronk confirmed, but Kuzco had walked back in.
"Spuds yes, cheese no." Kuzco did not want cheese on his potatoes, he never had cheese on his potatoes, with that corrected he walked out.
"Hold the cheese," Kronk repeated.
"No, I want the cheese." Yzma walked in then out.
"Cheese it is." Kronk wished this in and out would stop. He needed to focus on cooking the food. Pacha remained frozen in place in front of the sign and could just hear Atoc's giggles at the round and round that was happening.
"Cheese me no likee." Kuzco walked out.
"Cheese out."
"Cheese in!" Yzma shouted on her way through the doors.
"Come on. Make up your mind!"
"Okay, okay, on second thought," Kuzco started, his head poking through one of the doors.
"Make my potatoes a salad." He and Yzma, who had stuck her head through the other door, said at the same time. Yzma was confused by the echo and stuck her finger in her ear to make sure she wasn't hearing things.
Kuzco and Yzma sat back down in their respective booths. Kuzco was sitting staring at the menu. When he put his down, Yzma picked her menu up. Then she laid her back down and Kuzco lifted his back up, then he set it down and stared at the kitchen doors, willing his food to come out faster.
Back in the kitchen, Pacha made sure that Kronk wasn't looking before he got his daughter to start sneaking away. When they exited the kitchen, they're stressed increased as Yzma was so close to looking up and seeing Kuzco. But they each put down their drinks and picked up their menus again.
The waitress that helped them was walking passed and Pacha had an idea.
"Excuse me." Pacha got the woman's attention then pointed out Yzma. "You see that woman over there?" He whispered the last part of his idea to the woman.
"No problem, hon. We do that all the time." She'd been here for too long for any request to really phase her anymore. So, she gathered up the waitstaff and walked over to the table.
Over at her table, Yzma finally looked at the woman across from her and thought there was something strange about her, but she was distracted when people started counting.
"One, two, three, four. Happy, happy birthday from all of us to you. We wish it was our birthday so we could party too. Happy, happy birthday. May all your dreams come true. We wish it was our birthday, so we could party too." The staff sang, throwing confetti in the air, surprising Yzma and making her scream. They put a sombrero on the unhappy woman's head.
The commotion caught Kronk's attention and he stepped out of the kitchen laughing and stirring something in a bowl. "It's your birthday?"
In all the commotion, no one noticed Atoc bolt for the door or Pacha grab his 'wife' and drag 'her' out. Pacha had to carry Kuzco out of the restaurant and even that was hard because the emperor was struggling so much. Outside the doors, Pacha looked around frantically for Atoc. She had found a place for them to talk that was off the main path, and when Pacha saw her he bolted in her direction.
"What are you doing?" Kuzco was not used to being manhandled. He didn't like it and wanted to know exactly why they had to leave before he'd finished, or even started, eating.
"Look, there's two people in there looking for you," Pacha explained in a whisper, trying not to catch the attention of anyone leaving the restaurant.
"What?" Kuzco couldn't understand why Pacha had taken him away from the people that were looking for him.
"A big guy and a skinny old woman," Atoc added, hoping Kuzco knew who they were, but also hoping that he didn't, because they had wanted to get rid of him.
"Wait." Kuzco held up a hoof, that sounded like Yzma and her new bodyguard, what's-his-name, Kronk. "Was this woman scary beyond all reason?"
"Oh, yeah." Atoc shuddered, remembering the woman's face and skin. She looked like a witch out of a folktale that would steal children.
"That's Yzma and Kronk." Kuzco was so happy that they'd come looking for him and wiped the makeup off his face. "I'm saved!"
Pacha grabbed his poncho that Kuzco was wearing, hoping he could convey the danger the emperor was in. "Trust me, they're not here to save you."
But Kuzco didn't seem to listen at all. "They'll take me back to the palace." He kinda mumbled to himself before Pacha let go, not believing what he was hearing. Thanks for your help. You've been great. I can take it from here." Kuzco started to walk back towards the restaurant, ready to go home with Yzma and Kronk, maybe he'd even get Yzma a new job at the palace after she changed him back of course.
"No, no, you don't understand." Atoc blocked his path, hoping the emperor wouldn't walk straight into his doom, she didn't want to see him hurt and the thought of those two killing him made her panic a little. "They're trying to kill you."
"Kill me?" Kuzco really didn't believe that! "Their whole world revolves around me." He was the ruler of the world, so why would they want to kill him? Everyone was supposed to love him. He just walked around the two peasants, he wanted hands again and now.
"No, I can't let you!" Pacha grabbed Kuzco's neck and tried to pull him back.
"What? Wha..." Kuzco was confused, but then he realized that if he went back to the palace, their village would still get destroyed, maybe they were never going to take him back. They were going to stand him in the jungle! "Oh! Oh, I get it."
"What?" Atoc and her father asked, sharing a look of mutual confusion.
"You don't want to take me back to the palace. You want to keep me stranded out here forever." Kuzco called them out, not knowing how wrong he was.
"No!" Atoc protested. "We wouldn't…"
"This has all been an act and I almost fell for it." Kuzco cut the girl off before she could 'lie' to him again. He really was hurt. He thought that they were friends, or at least becoming friends.
"Will you just listen to me..." Pacha tried to get the emperor to stop his rant about how they were liars, but Kuzco was mad now. All he knew was that two people he knew from the palace were here looking for him, and these two peasants were trying to stop him from going back with them. He was mad.
"No, no, you listen to me. All you care about is your – your stupid hilltop!" Kuzco yelled.
"What?" Pacha asked, honestly confused.
"You don't care about me. Now, just get out of here. Go!"
"But-But..." Pacha shook his head, trying to protest, while Atoc's eyes started to shine with tears that had started to form. How could he believe that she – they didn't care about him? After they followed him into the jungle and saved him from jaguars, or when her father and he got out of the gorge together, or even sneaking him into the restaurant. She couldn't believe he was so quick to forget all of that.
"Go on! Get out of here!" He wanted them gone, and he never wanted to see them again. He'd happily destroy their village after this.
"Fine!" Pacha shouted. Kuzco turned and ran away as Pacha glared at him.
When Kuzco got around to the front of the restaurant, Yzma and Kronk were coming down the stairs, what a perfect time to join them!
"Oh, this entire mess is all your fault," Yzma grumbled, the sombrero still on her head. Kronk followed behind her, a piece of cake in one hand, to-go good wrapped up in foil shaped like a llama, and a party hat on his head.
"What'd I do?" The large man asked, not sure what he'd done this time.
Neither noticed the llama in a poncho and hat coming up behind them.
"If you hadn't mixed up those poisons, Kuzco would be dead now!" Kuzco popped up, ready to surprise them when he heard Yzma taking about poisoning him. "There'll be no more diversions until we track that llama down and kill him!" He ducked behind the log, so he wasn't found.
"Said I was sorry. Can't just let it go, not even on your birthday." Kronk followed the cranky woman, who continued to talk about her plan as she got back into her traveling compartment.
"Kuzco must be eliminated. The empire will finally be rid of that useless slug."
"Well, you got a point. Nobody really seems to care that he's gone, do they?" Kronk put the backpack like contraption on and started running through the jungle again.
Kuzco walked out onto the path, watching his would-be murders disappear into the jungle, shocked. Pacha and Atoc were right. He yelled at them and sent them away because he wouldn't listen. He should have known better. Pacha was trying to save his village, and Atoc had never done anything mean to him ever.
"Atoc! Pacha!" Kuzco shouted as he walked back towards the restaurant, in hopes that they hadn't left or gone too far yet. "Atoc! Pacha?" But he found himself alone, and it was all his fault.
Kuzco ended up wandering through the jungle, hoping he could find his way back home or at least to Pacha's village. He wanted to apologize to the man and Atoc. But the more he wandered the more lost he became. He did end up close to the palace during his wanderings, and for a moment he was happy to see his home, before Yzma and Kronk's words ran through his head. Nobody there missed him. So, he turned around and walked away, looking for shelter from the oncoming storm. He couldn't find a dry place to sleep so he curled up on a bit of dirt in the pouring rain.
Kuzco didn't sleep much, the rain saw to that, so when the morning came, he started wandering again, even before the sun had fully come up. He eventually made it to a field of llamas.
He sighed. There was no one in the world that wanted to help him. There was no one in the palace that missed him. He might be better off being a llama for the rest of his life. Kuzco walked down the hill to join the herd of llamas below. When he made it to the pasture, all of them looked at him. He waved trying to be friendly, but all the llamas walked away from him, leaving him to eat grass sadly by himself.
"So, there we were standing on the cliff, and the ground started to rumble." Kuzco perked up when he heard a voice that sounded like Pacha. As he moved towards the sound, the llamas cleared a path, showing him Pacha and Atoc sitting in the field, Pacha back in his poncho, which they'd found dropped in the road. "And just as it started to go, he grabbed me before I fell. Do you believe that? You know, call me crazy for following this guy all the way out here, but as much as he tries to deny it, I know there's some good in him. Besides, I couldn't just leave him out here all alone. He's a lousy llama. I mean, a really lousy llama."
Kuzco smiled, he was so happy to see his friends. They both stood and walked towards the misfit llama. Kuzco remembered the last thing he'd said to the two and he knew he had to apologize, he felt terrible about the things that he'd said.
"Hey, listen, Pacha, Atoc, you know... what I said to you back at the diner, that-that... I-I didn't really..." Kuzco had never really apologized before, so he wasn't very good at it, but the two villagers understood what he was trying to say. Pacha merely held up a hand to stop his babbling.
"So, you tired of being a llama?" Atoc asked with a sweet smile on her face, happy with the sort of apology. He was sincere even if he didn't know what to say.
"Yes!" cried Kuzco, he really didn't want to eat grass for the rest of his life.
Atoc giggled and Kuzco was glad to hear the sound again. It was becoming one of his favorites.