Chapter 3: No Restaurant for Lincoln
Ronnie Ann along with Carol carefully but quickly wiped off each table that was set up earlier, meanwhile while they were working Carlotta was on her laptop as she showed up on camera recording from the red light blinking and rolling numbers appeared on screen for her fashionista lifestyle for her YouTube channel. Drumming up business for her new friends restaurant giving comments on the sights around the place among other virtues she could find about the place pointing her camera catching Becky's attention looking over her shoulder and whistling impressed like making the fashionista jump a bit in surprise shouting an "Ah!".
"Wow! Neat, you're pretty internet famous huh? That's a lotta viewers ya got here to tell about our restaurant." She said excitedly pointing casually at the screen showing a long list of viewers including the famed pop star Alisa commenting wildly in the comment section of the stream. Carlotta sheepishly smiled over her shoulder at Becky as she spoke "Oh, um… Yeah I guess. I'm mostly okay internet famous, I'm mostly a make up tutorial gal then like an influencer or whatever." She humbled herself a bit as Becky smirked at her pointing at her impressed and thankful like with a wink making Carlotta chuckle bashful a bit. "Well ether way thanks for the coverage to the restaurant."
Meanwhile Lincoln who was in the kitchen helping a bit in cleaning up and assisting in making dishes, quickly moving out the double doors with a white apron tied around his waist as he moved through the restaurant til stopping figures at a booth as he hastily pulled out a notebook and pencil from his apron pocket. "Oh! Hello there, I'm Lincoln Loud and I'll-Sisters!" He squeaked out in a panic with wide eyes freezing up mid step seeing his sisters, Lynn, Leni, Lisa and Luan, sitting in that table. He stands there a bit before awkwardly and slowly backing up through the kitchen door. "Um, hey Linc, you okay there?" Ronnie Ann asked as she and Carlotta helping preparing some of the food, turning to look at him huffing and sweating nervously as he blurted out what he saw outside to them. "It's-It's my-my sisters! My sisters Lynn, Leni, Lisa and Luan are here!" Ronnie Ann frowns after blinking at him in surprise as Carlotta moved to comfort the white haired boy putting her hand on his shoulder kneeling down mimicking breathing that he copyed a bit.
"Hey, hey chill little guy, repeat after me. Breathe in, then out, in and out okay. That always help chill my nerves if they're shot." She said clamly comforting the young Loud boy who breathed deeply in and out a bit. "Well okay, that means we gotta bounce then." Ronnie Ann admitted nodding with understanding as Carlotta stood up with both her and Lincoln moved towards her as a cough is heard making them turn towards Carol, Becky and Fiona staring at them casually as Carol spoke. "Hey, I don't know why you guys wanna avoid the Louds out there but if you guys need help we're here for y'all." She assured them as Ronnie Ann, Lincoln and Carlotta smiled thankfully at them. "Thanks. We appreciate it. So any ideas for an escape route?" Ronnie Ann thanked Carol and her friends for the offer as she brought up her concerns about the escape plan glancing around curiously. A little awhile later, after Lincoln went out to keep an eye on his sisters while the others looked for a good escape route.
"We just gotta find a few routes here to get you guys out quickly, maybe under a rolling table? No, how about on the roof? No, maybe…" Ronnie Ann, Carlotta, Carol, Fiona and Becky looked around the kitchen discussing options before they turn to Ronnie Ann speaking up pointing at the fire escape before frowning a bit realizing as she slumped her shoulders at the door being chained up with a lock on it. "Oh an fire escape, we can go down there and outside to escape eas-Noooo… It's locked, just great." She muttered bitterly crossing her arms before blinking turning to Carol who points over at a wall where a small window on it. "How about this way out? It's small but it leads outside pretty quickly, plus we can push you guys out one at a time so you'll slide out easy hopefully." She commented moving over from the prep table to the wall gesturing to the window as Fiona, Becky, Carlotta and Ronnie Ann gather around her explaining how it could be a good escape route for them.
Despite some chagrins from Ronnie Ann and Carlotta, they girls pushing through the window Carol opened it, Ronnie Ann squeezed in first, then Carol, then Becky and unfortunately stopping at Carlotta as she got stuck half way through the window. Carlotta grumbled a bit trying to pull her upper body from the window frame a bit. "Ugh! Come on! Geez, I hate these small but convenient spaces that I gotta crawl through. I'm getting sick of these escape routes." She sighs a bit annoyed as Carol pull her out by her arms as Carlotta cringed a bit at the forceful session. As she does this Fiona on the other side watching her pushing kinda awkward with her shoulder and taking a squeeze bottle off the counter sink nearby using soap all around the creaks of the window frame to hopefully squeeze Carlotta's butt out smoothly. Meanwhile Lincoln smiles as he stood in front of his sisters table chatting with them a bit, after Becky convinced him to awhile ago to stall for time much to his chagrin after walking up to turn casually like he bumped into them unknowingly. "Hey-" he began to say before a loud stretching noise was heard in the kitchen along with a few yelling, the loudest being Carlotta's shout. He chuckled a bit as his sisters blinked in confusion a bit at the noise before finishing his thought.
"…Heh, how are ya? how did you hear about the new restaurant, I just happened to pass by it myself ya know." He said nervously as Leni waved at him over before smiling as she casually explained why they're here. " Hi Linky, good to see ya. Oh, well we heard a few of our friends were opening a cool new restaurant and wanted to support their new business." Lisa, Lynn and Luan nodded in agreement with Leni as Lincoln chuckled rubbing the back of his head as he looking away before turning back at the girls forcing a smile. "Huh that's cool of you, um, maybe since I'm here maybe I'll take your guys order for you. Since I don't see any waiters here and I can tell those guys, since they're your friends, get you guys food early… Yeah." He said awkwardly as his sisters looked at each other before shrugging nonchalantly agreeing to his suggestion.
"Okay. sounds pretty thoughtful, thanks Linc. Okay… We'll have the fancy pancakes in chocolate syrup, bacon and cut up fruit with a warm cup of milk." Lynn said pointing over at Lincoln before pulling her feet off the table to read through the menu and picking out the pancake special as the other sisters nodded in agreeing to getting the order as Lincoln nods backing away pointing his thumb at the kitchen doors. "Cool. Cool pancake special, got it. I'll just… Go tell them to get your stuff ready." He said before ducking through the double doors breathing a bit while holding onto his knees tightly. "Okay, gonna need 4 pancake specials here." He wheezed out a bit as he moves towards Jackee who nodded as she went to prepare the meal. Meanwhile with Carlotta and the others, Ronnie Ann, Becky and Carol who pulls on Carlotta's arms in the order from Ronnie first and Carol last as they strain pulling on Carlotta's arms.
"So how do ya think the restaurant is shaping up?" Becky asked Carol sarcastically while pulling on Carlotta's left arm while Carol pulled on her right, she shrugged resounding to Becky. "Yeah I get it but not every restaurant has a smooth opening. They usually have big disaster like blow outs that mellow out later so no use fretting over it." She said before smirking looking over at Carlotta who blushed a bit embarrassed like. "Plus, we'd break even even with the disaster of an opening we can profit from collecting from Carlotta's big old hips busting up our window frame." Becky and Ronnie Ann's chuckled amused while Carlotta shouts a short hey at Carol who join in on chuckling at the flustered blushing Carlotta. Just as she groans in annoyance a soft popping noise is heard as she shot out making her face plant on the ground after in final pull from Carol, she grunted as she quickly stood up dusting her body before playfully declaring with a playful smirk making everyone giggle at her a bit. "Well too bad for you guys, cuz I proved you guys wrong and didn't bust no window!" As Fiona wiggles her way through the window frame to the other side with the others chatting amongst themselves a bit, Becky looking over Carlotta in concern.
"So that was kinda nuts getting stuck and popping out like that, you okay girl? How do ya feel being popped outta the small window like that?" She asked Carlotta who scoffs waving her away dismissively with a knowing smirk. "Nah, it was hard but nothing I haven't been in before, so all good." Meanwhile after Carlotta broke free from the window, Lincoln soon burst through the kitchen door walking quickly to his waiting sisters booth. Carrying an arm full of plates with steaming pancakes as he leaned out at the table passing those dishes to Leni, Luan, Lisa and Lynn as he bowed fancy like at them saying "Bon appétit." "Wow th-" Leni said in amazement about to compliment Linc before seeing him dash away to the kitchen much to his sisters on confusion. "Just gotta get something for you guys, in the back room for hungry costumers like ketchup or something ." He tried to cover for his quick departure to the kitchen with a semi lame cover story. He breaths a sigh of relief leaning on the door of the kitchen a bit catching some rest before moving towards the little window. "You think he'll make it through? Where is the boy?" Ronnie Ann asked worried a bit to no one in particular among the group outside, she and Carlotta pacing a bout before Ronnie Ann leaned on the open window space crossing her arms a bit.
"Yeah I think so, hopefully. He'll be here I'm sure cuz, just be patient." Carlotta tries to assure Ronnie Ann who grumbles about Linc not being there yet. "Yeah maybe… Ugh where is that-Ack! Wha?!" Ronnie Ann complained before jumping back and turning to the little window as Lincoln push his way through and soon enough stood on the other side. "Finally, what took you so long?" Ronnie Ann asked the panting tired boy as Lincoln recaps what he done up until that point to the girls asking him what happened. "Oh just barely made it here, got my sisters a meal and thankfully snuck out here after doing so. Ya know inside of explaining all this situation to them, much easier ya know." As the girls nodded, some in confusion with Carol, Fiona and Becky who bid the trio of friends goodbye as they moved back through the window into their restaurant. "Sooo how are your meals? Good I hope." Carol as she collected their dishes while Fiona held up her phone to react their first costumers reaction of their first meal for positive publicity. "It was pretty good. Tots great, but I gotta ask where is Linc?" She asked Carol, Finoa and Becky who looked at each other suspiciously.
"He's in the kitchen." Carol said while Becky said at the same time "To prepare some food in the back room yeah." And lastly Fiona said at the saa as me time causing all the Loud sisters to look at each other a bit suspiciously then at the sweating nervous frowning girls in front of them. Leni blinked again in confusion before speaking up "Ummm… That's great you guys but I don't know if Linc can be in all of those I think, unless he is?" She said sheepishly with a soft smile before tapping her chin in confused thought. "That's a lotta stuff ya laying on us to ketchup, hahaha. Get it?" Luan cracked a bad pun giggling at it before frowning seriously pointing at Carol, Fiona and Becky accusing. "But seriously we're is Lincoln?" Lisa stares at the girls deadpan adding her two cents on the matter as Carol and her company shift nervously by her bluntness. "Yes, where is our elder brother Hmm? Really I mean, because your stories are very contradictory to be true." Carol drawls out an uh sound with her mouth before Lynn interrupts her. "Yeah guys, your stories are totally uncoordinated like an unskilled play called by a team on the football field. "So… Tell us we're our brother is for real!" They all demanded standing up from their seats glaring intently at the nervous Fiona, Carol and Becky cringing a bit. Meanwhile outside the restaurant Lincoln, Ronnie Ann and Carlotta started leaving the building he frowned worried like rubbing his arm a bit. "Do you guys think it was a good choice ditching the restaurant?" He asked as Ronnie Ann and Carlotta glanced back at him cocking an eyebrow before nodding "Yeah. Totally is, I mean if ya don't wanna tell them about us being here and all so… Yeah. Right choice." Ronnie Ann said as they moved out of the small space towards the street as Lincoln thought for a moment before nodding as they headed out of the street. "Yeah. You're right, right choice." He muttered in agreement.