Renegades: KotLC

Papa Johns- 29

Author's Note- I did edit this, but I was really tired when I did it so please forgive unnecessarily long chapter, the random subject changes and just poor formatting in general :,)

Sophie wiped the sweat from her brow, staring at the shop with a satisfied smile. She stood in the center of the music store, newly remodeled after the long day's work.

It wasn't finished yet, for the bigger repairs would take longer and cost more. However, they'd made huge progress, even in just a day. The floor was now clearly visible, having been previously discolored beneath all the dust and dirt. Kenna and Rajni had spent the day repainting the walls to be a royal blue, fading from dark to light. Koen had spent their work hours taste testing the snacks Mr. Anwir would occasionally bring them, though he did do some work when Evander finally recognized his tactics.

"Can we eat now?" Koen stretched his arms upwards, letting out an exhausted yawn as he let the mop in his hands fall to the floor. "I'm starving."

Kenna gave him a motherly look, crossing her arms. "Says the one who just had a Lunchable, like, fifteen minutes ago."

"So? There's a huge difference between Lunchable pizzas and real pizza."

"Not really," Evander said, listing off his fingers. "Crust, sauce, cheese, and pepperoni... Sounds the same to me."

"Nuh uh! Rajni, you know what I mean. Right?" Koen's eyes were puppy-like as he looked to his only ally. "The difference in texture? The way it's prepared? The person making it!?---I mean, you don't go into Papa Johns and ask for a Lunchable pizza made by Koen Wade the amateur, do you? No! You ask for a well-prepared pizza created by careful hands that kindly caress the dough, spin it on the tips of their fingers before laying it dow---"

"You're really into this, aren't you?" Evander sighed. "Fine. We'll stop by Papa Johns."

Koen pumped a fist, taking Rajni by the wrist and moving her arm to do the same.

Sophie scrunched her brows. "Wait... pepperoni? Isn't that, like..."

"I'm pretty sure Koen's the only elf to ever eat meat," Kenna informed Sophie. "It's his background. It's... complicated. Anyway, we've tried to get him to stop in the past, but he's a lost cause."

"That's mean."

Sophie flinched. She hadn't realized he'd heard them. Though, he showed no hints of offense as he moved to stand between the two girls. "But I guess you're not wrong. There's no way I'm ever giving up hamburgers. Or bacon. Or tacos. Still, it's not nice to call me a lost cause."

"What else would I call you?" Kenna teased. "'Stubborn' isn't any better."

"Persistent," Koen listed. "Strong-headed, strong-willed, strong, handsome---"

"Resolute, determined, undaunted," Sophie said when he'd run out of words.

Kenna's eyes were stern as she looked between the two. "Don't encourage him, Soph. His ego's big enough as it is."

Koen rolled his eyes. "Hey, just because I know I'm hot, doesn't mean I've got a big ego. It's called 'confidence'."

Kenna rolled her eyes, while Sophie frowned. Not because of what Koen had said, but because she'd only just now registered what Kenna had said earlier. "Kenna, what did you mean when you'd said 'complicated'?"

"Huh?" Like a cat, Koen's ears perked. "Whaddya mean?"

"Sophie was asking why you aren't vegetarian," Kenna told him. "And I told her it's 'cause your background's complicated."