Here we go - another chapter of The Fireside Café. I might not be able to update anytime soon - just not keeping well nowadays. Apart from that, I have my SAT's and ACT's to give, and studies... *sigh*
Enjoy!
- Anna.
Ferb
Bored.
Ferb would've proudly denied this, but he was bored and devoid of ideas. The snowstorm seemed to have affected his and Phineas' mental workings, making Phineas susceptible to what Ferb called 'the mindless potato bug'.
Being afflicted with the mindless potato bug included endless hours of staring at the laptop/phone (take your pick), incessant lounging and a sudden urge to watch crap telly.
Why mindless potato bug?
Because the two liked to believe that the nucleus present in all cells of the potato served as its cumulative brain, and we were only consuming what was its mindless version (sans brain, sans taste, sans everything). And now they had become that - it was driving him insane.
"Ferb, I have no clue what we're going to do today."
The moment these dreaded words left Phineas, Ferb made a mental resolve to come up with a plan in the next five minutes - which he successfully did.
"Come on, get up," he dragged the former off the couch. "We're making a laser snow melting machine. The driveway and the walkways are too sticky with it."
Two hours and several curses later, the two had made a contraption that best resembled a curling iron, but shot a wide-range laser that was currently to 'snowmelt'. The settings ranged from 'pointer' (Ferb had no idea why they'd put that one in - it would look simply ridiculous) to 'James Bond' (they both knew what that did, but had no clue when they'd ever need it).
"Let's do this." Phineas finally looked like his pre-mindless-potato self.
With the walkway and driveway cleared and their mother's promise of a batch of cookies each for the duo, Phineas shook their car's keys absentmindedly.
"Ferb, I know what we're going to do next." When said Brit cocked an eyebrow, Phineas rubbed his mittened hands together. "Let's go to the Fireside Cafe. That place is amazing. They have books," he decided to make sure his brother would go, "and Earl Grey."
"Must it take you so long to suggest that?"
"A P stylised in the shape of my pointy face means nothing, bro!" Ferb shook his head, opening the door for a rambling Phineas to get in. Despite the clear skies and the sun, the wind was still chilly like last night's blizzard.
"Morning, Isabella," the redhead wished as he walked off to the counter with a large grin on his face, Ferb busying himself with the mini-library the cafe housed. The collection was to his taste, with its Edgar Allan Poe, Richard Feynman, John Green, Danielle Steele, J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan and Carl Sagans all in order.
"You should go with a Riordan today," a quiet voice interrupted his mental debate between Blood Of Olympus and Contact. The owner of the voice was a petite brunette, her rimless glasses giving her blue eyes a sort of glaze that Ferb assumed would come with acrylic and not glass lenses. He wondered whether she was in engineering or med school.
"Engineering or med school?" Contrary to surprised, she looked pleased. Like someone was finally noticing obvious details.
"Aerospace." Ferb's mouth involuntarily twitched into a small grin. Someone else with his interests; finally.
"Same."
"Where do you go?"
"Cambridge - the UK one."
"CalTech. I'm beginning my third year."
"Same here." He looked at the books in his hands once again. "So, you were suggesting a Riordan, weren't you?" A nod, and a small smile was her answer. "Very well - as the lady says." As Phineas chattered away to Ms Garcia-Shapiro in the background, he had plenty of time to get through the first chapter without being pestered.
"Ferb, Ferb, FEEERRB!" Phineas was met by a rather unamused expression, and a quirked eyebrow, to which his response was, "Isabella wants your order."
"You know what I want."
"Earl Grey? That's it? No cookies, no brownies, no specials, nothing else?"
"How much sugar have you consumed, Phineas?"
"Two sachets - maybe three. The usual was a bit too strong and bitter."
"And you had Froot Loops and Honey Cheerios with chocolate milk this morning." The redhead nodded rather vigorously. With a resigned sigh, Ferb allowed himself to be dragged off to the counter - there was a new breakfast menu which looked rather appetizing.
"Chocolate-Walnut Brownies?" Isabella nodded with a grin. "Coming right up with your Earl Grey, Ferb." A knowing look passed between her and Gretchen, the latter blushing rather furiously at the formers conspicuous, knowing smile. Phineas the Innocuous looked on with his trademark lost expression, while Ferb inwardly berated his brother's blissful but rather inconvenient obliviousness.
"Here you go - Phineas, wanna sit down and grab a bite? There aren't many people around, so I could get you anything you like…" Her suggestion was lost on the boy, who accepted the offer graciously but did not get the flirtatious undertone to it, leaving Isabella disappointed, again.
Leaving Phineas to his own devices, Ferb proceeded to sit beside the pretty bespectacled brunette, and learn more about people than of supernovae and photolytic propulsion systems.